Certain Energy Raises €11.6M for Grid Storage Solutions

Addressing the critical challenge of grid instability, UK-based energy storage innovator Certain Energy has successfully closed a €11.6 million (approx. $12.74 million USD) Series A funding round. This significant capital injection is earmarked for the commercialization and grid-scale deployment of its novel long-duration energy storage (LDES) technology, which utilizes abundant manganese-based flow batteries.

The funding round saw robust participation from key strategic investors. Leading the investment was the British Business Bank, contributing €4 million ($3.5 million USD). Other notable backers include Centrica Energy, Ceres Power Holdings plc, and Temasek Trust’s Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health (C3H). This diverse investor base underscores the market's confidence in Certain Energy's potential to revolutionize grid flexibility.

The urgency for such solutions is palpable. As Mark Selby, Executive Chair of Certain Energy, highlighted, the intermittency of renewable power sources poses a substantial economic burden. He cited that the UK government spent approximately £1.5 billion last year to curtail renewable energy generation during peak production. Projections indicate this figure could escalate to £8 billion annually by 2030 if unaddressed, underscoring the immense financial imperative for effective energy storage.

Certain Energy's technology offers a compelling answer to this growing problem. Their flow battery system, based on manganese—the twelfth most common element in Earth's crust—stores energy in liquid electrolytes held in external tanks. This design allows for scalable storage durations, from hours to days, by simply increasing tank size. The company reports an impressive operating life of around 20 years with minimal capacity degradation and a round-trip efficiency exceeding 75%. Furthermore, their manganese-based approach is projected to reduce marginal storage costs to roughly one-tenth of comparable vanadium flow battery systems.

This funding aligns with a broader trend of substantial investment in the European energy storage and grid flexibility sectors. In 2026 alone, comparable or adjacent funding rounds have collectively surpassed €167 million. Notable examples include Amsterdam-based Ore Energy's €37.3 million Series A for iron-air batteries, Oslo-based Photoncycle's €15 million Series A for seasonal storage, and Munich-based encosa's €25 million Seed round for commercial battery systems. Within the UK, Exergy3 raised €11.4 million for thermal energy storage, and Gaussion secured €24.5 million for battery intelligence technology.

Charlotte Lawrence, Managing Director and Head of Direct Equity at the British Business Bank, emphasized the clear financial and strategic value of LDES in today's volatile energy markets. She stated, "Certain Energy’s technology delivers a compelling return on investment whilst reducing overall energy needs. This funding will support the team in commercialising their solution and accelerating its deployment." The company, originally a 2017 spinout from Imperial College London, aims to complement and potentially replace lithium-ion batteries for grid applications requiring extended storage, thereby reducing reliance on gas-fired peaker plants.