Exploring the Future of Energy Storage: Verifying the Performance of New Battery Technologies
30 April 2025
As global demand for renewable energy continues to rise, so does the urgency to develop energy storage solutions that are effective and sustainable. Among the emerging alternatives, aqueous-based battery technology is gaining attention for its safety, environmental profile, and long-term potential.
At NMi, we recently had the opportunity to work with a client developing a saltwater battery system—an innovative technology with the potential to complement or even rival lithium-ion in certain applications. Our role was to assess its electrical performance through in-depth tests, helping validate the technology and pave the way for broader adoption.
What we uncovered offers valuable insight—not just into the capabilities of this specific battery system, but also into how tailored testing and thoughtful collaboration can accelerate the transition to cleaner, smarter energy storage.
A Smarter Approach to Battery Validation
With no formal certification standards currently available for this type of technology, validating the performance of a new battery system requires more than off-the-shelf testing. That’s where NMi’s approach comes in.
Working closely with the client, we evaluated and validated a customized test protocol tailored to the battery’s specific chemistry and application. This collaborative process ensured the tests were not only rigorous but also relevant, enabling a meaningful comparison to more established systems.
As the industry moves toward greater standardization in batteries for alternative chemistries, projects like this help set the groundwork. By aligning test plans with both technical realities and emerging application needs, we’re helping shape a future where sustainable battery technologies can be reliably measured, benchmarked, and trusted at scale.
Technical Insights from Our Testing
NMi’s evaluation included several critical tests designed to assess the capabilities and readiness of saltwater batteries for large-scale applications, focusing on chemistry, electrochemical behaviour, electrical performance, and application potential.:
Rate Capacity Test: Evaluating the battery electrical performs under different discharge rates to determine its usable energy.
Cell Power Test: Evaluating the maximum power output and the cell’s ability to handle load.
Gravimetric & Volumetric Energy Density Calculations: Measuring the energy stored per unit of weight and volume, essential for design and deployment decisions.
C-Rate Test: Evaluating battery performance at different charge and discharge rates to assess its flexibility across various use cases.
Cycle Life & Aging Tests: Assessing performance degradation over time, which is crucial for predicting maintenance and replacement costs.
Temperature Dependency Test: Verifying performance consistency across various environmental conditions.
Flexibility / Grid Stability Test: Assessing the battery’s ability to stabilize grid fluctuations and manage intermittent renewable energy sources.
Technical Declaration Over Certification
In cases where formal industry standards are still emerging, NMi offers a Technical Declaration in place of a traditional certificate of conformity. This document delivers independently verified performance data across a range of operating conditions—offering stakeholders, from QA engineers to investors, meaningful insight into a battery’s readiness for real-world deployment.
Rather than waiting for standards to catch up with innovation, the Technical Declaration provides a comprehensive, data-backed evaluation that reflects both the performance and potential of early-stage technologies.
This approach was recently applied in collaboration with Dr. Ten B.V., whose founder, Dr. Marnix ten Kortenaar, shared the value of the process:
“Working with NMI Battery team was a great experience from start to finish.
They took the time to truly understand our battery’s unique chemistry and application. Together we developed a customized test protocol that fitted our needs perfectly. The collaboration was seamless—every step of the validation process felt thoughtful and precise.
The result was a valuable report from the series of tests that were not only rigorous but genuinely relevant to our technology.
This approach gave us meaningful benchmarks and allowed for comparison with more established systems, which is incredibly valuable at this stage.
The clarity and relevance of the data have been an instrument in our discussions with investors, helping them to understand the real-world potential and maturity of our technology. It was clear that the team was committed to delivering not just data, but insight as well.”
Dr. ten Kortenaar’s experience underscores NMi’s commitment to practical, collaborative validation that goes beyond routine testing. By offering flexible, insight-driven evaluations, NMi helps innovators bridge the gap between breakthrough technologies and formal certification frameworks—bringing safe, scalable, and future-ready energy solutions to market with confidence.
Broader Industry Implications
New Materials, Proven Performance
While the exact chemistry remains confidential, this new system relies on alternative materials that shows exceptional fire resistance and stable electrical output under extreme conditions, offering a compelling pathway for safer grid applications.
Advancing Testing Methods
This project underscores NMi’s dual focus: delivering standardized validation for commercial battery systems and partnering with developers to build tailored test plans for emerging technologies. This flexibility ensures that we can meet industry needs today while preparing for the future.
Positioning for a Sustainable Battery Market
As global attention shifts toward sustainability and circular economy principles, NMi is actively supporting the development and validation of low-impact, high-performance battery technologies. While ESG implications will be addressed more fully through separate initiatives, this project is an example of how testing plays a key role in de-risking and accelerating clean energy innovation.
Looking Ahead
As battery technologies evolve, so must the methods we use to validate and verify their performance. This project highlights the increasing need to adapt testing methods to keep pace of innovation—particularly for systems using new chemistries or designed for emerging applications.
At NMi, we’re focused on supporting that transition. Whether through developing fit-for-purpose test protocols or working alongside industry partners to address regulatory gaps, our goal is to ensure that promising technologies are met with the right level of scrutiny support.
As interest in energy storage grows, sustainable, robust and reliable performance validation will play a central role in enabling their safe and successful adoption of these technologies.
Interested in partnering on battery testing or validation for emerging technologies?
Let’s talk about how we can help you bring innovative energy storage solutions to market with confidence.
