Manganese batteries, for the Trentino Ges prototype by the end of the year

Ges (Green Energy Storage) is preparing to present its manganese battery prototype by the end of the year. The start-up founded in Trento in 2015 has devised and patented a storage system based on a hybrid platform consisting of hydrogen and a liquid manganese electrolyte: the battery self-produces the hydrogen needed for a closed charging and discharging circuit. A project that integrates advanced sensors, combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, for more efficient management and maintenance.

"A year ago we did the disclosure on the fundamental chemistry that is manganese, now it is time for the scale-up. We have seen that it works on a laboratory scale: it has to get bigger and in this year we have been working on the transition from research to engineering. At the end of 2025 we will present our first 1 kW demonstrator: it will be the proof to the world that our technology exists, it works, it is a valid alternative to existing ones,' says Ges CEO Matteo Mazzotta.

This is a crucial moment in the start-up's journey, which comes with protections: 'Between now and the third quarter of the year we will file two more patents for a total of seven, plus collateral industrial protections. They are all on the same technology, covered in its derivations. These are international patents because the exit markets will be international,' Mazzotta explains. 'The goal is to reach Trl 6 by the end of 2026. The reference is to an advancement on the Technology Readiness Level (Trl) scale, where the technology will be demonstrated in an industrial environment.

In the global trade war scenario drawn by the duties announced by the US administration, the structure of production chains becomes even more important. Lithium batteries, which today dominate the market for storage systems, depend on critical raw materials: 'The latest events shine a light on the opportunities for new technologies like ours. The raw material, manganese, is widely available, it is the twelfth most common element on the earth's crust, it has production in Italy and Europe. The rest of the components have an Italian and European supply chain, which puts us at an advantage in a post-globalisation world,' the CEO notes.

2025 is a crucial year for the development of storage related to renewables, i.e. the ability to store a form of intermittent energy, because the Macse will start: the forward market for storage is a tool of Terna's that has precisely the objective of strengthening the storage infrastructure. "At the moment we will not participate in auctions, also because a certification phase has begun and will not be completed in the necessary time. But that will be a market we will look at. In addition to lithium batteries and hydroelectric pumping, on paper there is technological neutrality, provided we meet the minimum requirements, which we absolutely do,' Mazzotta explains.