Natron Energy

Natron Energy is an American company based in Santa Clara, California, specializing in the development and production of sodium-ion batteries for energy storage applications, such as data centers and industrial systems.^[1] Founded in 2012, Natron was the first U.S. company to commercially produce sodium-ion batteries, beginning manufacturing in Holland, Michigan, in 2024.^[1][2]

Natron Energy

Company type	Private
Industry	Energy storage, Electronics
Founded	2012; 13 years ago (2012)
Founder	Colin Wessells
Headquarters	Santa Clara, California , United States
Key people	Colin Wessells (CEO)
Products	Sodium-ion batteries
Website	natron.energy

History

Natron Energy was founded in 2012 by Colin Wessells, then a Ph.D. student at Stanford University, to develop sodium-ion batteries as a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries.^[3] In 2020, Natron’s sodium-ion battery became the first to meet the **UL 1973** safety standard for energy storage systems, enabling commercial deployment in data centers.^[4] The company began commercial production at its facility in Holland, Michigan, in May 2024, targeting applications in telecommunications, data centers, and industrial power systems.^[2]

In August 2024, Natron announced plans for a $1.4 billion gigafactory in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, expected to create 1,000 jobs and produce 24 gigawatt-hours of sodium-ion batteries annually by 2028.^[5][6] The project is supported by federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Technology

Natron Energy’s sodium-ion batteries use Prussian blue electrodes, offering advantages over lithium-ion batteries, including lower cost, abundant raw materials, and enhanced safety.^[3] The company’s BluePack Critical Power Battery is designed for rapid charging (full charge in 15 minutes) and durability (over 50,000 deep discharge cycles), making it suitable for high-power applications like data centers and microgrids.^[7] Unlike lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries do not rely on scarce materials like cobalt or lithium, reducing supply chain risks.^[2]

Funding

As of September 2024, Natron Energy has raised approximately $200 million in funding from investors, including Chevron Technology Ventures, United Airlines Ventures, and Aramco Ventures.^[5][3] The company has also received grants from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to support research and scale-up efforts.^[8]