British Business Bank leads ten million pound funding for Certain Energy

Certain Energy has secured ten million pounds in an early-stage venture capital round led by the British Business Bank. The long-duration energy storage firm, formerly known as RFC Power, will use the capital to deploy batteries that stabilise the grid and provide power during periods of low solar or wind generation. The investment marks a significant step for the company as it seeks to scale its technology for high-volume production.

UK energy minister Michael Shanks stated that the government’s economic development bank is helping to develop the emerging long-duration energy storage market. He described homegrown clean energy as the route to more affordable bills and energy security, noting that storing power for when it is needed most is critical. Shanks added that by investing 3.5 million pounds, the bank is backing British innovation to store clean power for days rather than hours, thereby delivering a more secure energy system.

The funding round included participation from Temasek Trust’s Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health, alongside industrial investors Centrica and Ceres Power. Chief executive officer Tim von Werne said that with the bank’s backing of its Series A venture round, the company now has the capital and mandate to build a global champion to meet the needs of the energy transition. The firm plans to expand its UK research facility and create a supply chain to replicate battery projects, including the development of a grid-connected megawatt-scale battery system in India.

Founded in 2017 as a spin-off from Imperial College, Certain Energy aims to reduce reliance on gas peaking plants by harvesting clean energy to stabilise the electricity grid. Its technology uses flow batteries made from manganese, the twelfth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Unlike conventional batteries, the system extends power discharge duration through larger electrolyte tanks. Executive chair Mark Selby noted that the renewable power market is held back by vulnerability to external factors, citing government spending of around 1.5 billion pounds last year to ask providers to shut off operations during peak production. The company’s manganese flow batteries feature a patented electrolyte with a 20-year operating life and round-trip efficiency over 75 per cent, with potential to reduce marginal storage costs significantly compared to vanadium flow or lithium-ion systems.