{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/64558952edc160001121ec0b/68b921897450e0cb41902920?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"E101: Reinventing Grid Storage with XL Batteries","description":"<p>For the next few episodes, we’re digging into the wild world of energy and the aging global electricity grid. This week, we start where reliability begins: <strong>utility-scale storage</strong>. The grid we have was built for one-way power plants; the grid we need has to juggle rooftop solar at noon, heat waves at 6 p.m., EVs, and data centers galore.</p><p>My guest is <strong>Tom Sisto</strong>, founder &amp; CEO of <strong>XL Batteries</strong>. His team is commercializing a <strong>pH-neutral, aqueous organic flow battery</strong> — a non-flammable, salt-water system using carbon-based molecules instead of vanadium. Think: safer, long-life storage you can scale for hours to days, without sulfuric acid or scarce metals.</p><p><br></p><p>We get into:</p><ul><li>Why storage is the “time machine” the grid needs (match generation to demand, cut curtailment)</li><li>Flow batteries 101: engine vs. tank, independent power and duration, and why that matters for utilities</li><li>XL’s chemistry: organic charge carriers in <strong>neutral saltwater</strong> (no vanadium, no acid), designed for long life</li><li><strong>Cost and safety</strong> vs. lithium — and why duration + cycle life drive utility economics</li><li>Real-world progress: containerized field unit, <strong>EPRI</strong> duty-cycle testing, and an industrial pilot at <strong>Stolthaven Terminals</strong></li><li><strong>Retrofit potential:</strong> turning existing petrochemical tanks into energy storage tanks</li><li><strong>Storage-as-transmission:</strong> placing batteries on both sides of a bottleneck to double effective flow</li><li>Reliability + resilience: PSPS/wildfire shutoffs, hurricane backup, and data-center load growth</li><li>Where decentralization fits, and how industrial customers can de-risk adoption on the way to utility scale</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>Links &amp; resources:</h2><ul><li>XL Batteries — <a href=\"https://xlbatteries.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://xlbatteries.com/</a></li><li>Everybody in the Pool: all episodes &amp; newsletter — <a href=\"https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/</a></li><li>Become a paid subscriber for an ad-free feed (and my eternal gratitude) — <a href=\"https://plus.acast.com/s/everybody-in-the-pool\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://plus.acast.com/s/everybody-in-the-pool</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>Call to action &amp; what’s next:</h2><p><br></p><ul><li>Send thoughts &amp; voice memos: <a href=\"mailto:in@everybodyinthepool.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>in@everybodyinthepool.com</strong></a> — where do <em><u>you</u></em> see storage unlocking reliability?</li><li>If you liked this one, share it with a grid geek friend.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><h3><strong>Smart Grid Series lineup:</strong></h3><ul><li><strong>E101 (this episode):</strong> Safe, long-duration <strong>flow batteries</strong> with XL Batteries</li><li><strong>E102 (next):</strong> Grid “airbags” — <strong>synthetic inertia &amp; fast frequency</strong> control with <strong>Wärtsilä</strong></li><li><strong>E103 (after that):</strong> A rechargeable <strong>zinc sponge</strong> anode that solves dendrites — <strong>Enzinc</strong></li></ul>","author_name":"Molly Wood"}