ViZn Energy Systems - Comprehensive Analysis Report

Summary

ViZn Energy Systems, founded in 2009 (originally Zinc Air Inc.), is an energy storage company dedicated to developing and commercializing safe, reliable, scalable, and economical energy storage technology. The company's core mission is to enable the widespread adoption of renewables and modernize the global electrical grid by delivering low-cost, reliable, and safe energy storage. Its vision is a future powered by renewable energy, facilitated by robust and safe energy storage, aiming to modernize the world's grid and provide electricity even where it is currently unavailable. ViZn Energy Systems plays a significant role in the energy storage industry by focusing on large-scale utility and microgrid solutions, emphasizing a proprietary zinc-iron redox flow battery technology. This technology offers a unique blend of high-power and long-duration energy services, a 20-year lifespan with zero capacity fade, and utilizes environmentally friendly, non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-explosive components made from globally abundant materials.

1. Strategic Focus & Objectives

Core Objectives

ViZn Energy Systems' main business objectives revolve around providing advanced energy storage solutions that are safe, cost-effective, and versatile. The company aims to deliver high-power and long-duration energy services simultaneously to meet diverse grid applications. A key objective is a 20-year lifespan for its systems without degradation, ensuring a superior return on investment for customers.

Specialization Areas

The company specializes in large-scale energy storage solutions for grid applications, with a particular focus on utility and microgrid markets. Its unique value proposition stems from its proprietary zinc-iron redox flow battery technology, which addresses the limitations of other storage technologies by performing both rapid, high-power discharges and slower, long-duration releases efficiently. The systems are designed to be safe, reliable, cost-effective, and capable of operating for up to 20 years without degradation.

Target Markets

ViZn Energy Systems primarily targets large-scale utility transmission and distribution (T&D), wind and solar integration, military installations, mining operations, commercial and industrial sectors, and public sector facilities. The company's solutions are designed to support various applications, including T&D upgrade deferral, system capacity, energy time-shifting, spinning reserve, and frequency regulation.

2. Financial Overview

Funding History

ViZn Energy Systems has raised a total funding of $60.6 million across 8 rounds. PitchBook indicates a total of $61.5 million raised.

First Funding Round: A $2.32 million Seed round on April 13, 2011.

Latest Reported Funding: A $15 million Series B round on June 19, 2018. This round was led by a leading energy industry private equity fund and several long-standing investors. The capital was intended to re-establish operations, finalize field validation work for megawatt-scale systems, and expand commercial efforts and strengthen partnerships in emerging storage markets such as China, India, and Australia.

Recent Transaction: A secondary transaction was reported on February 17, 2023.

The company's annual revenue is estimated at $10.3 million by Zippia in 2024 and in the range of $10 million to $25 million by LeadIQ.

3. Product Pipeline

Key Products/Services

ViZn Energy Systems offers energy storage solutions primarily based on its proprietary zinc-iron redox flow battery technology.

Product Name: GS200 and Z20 energy storage systems.

Description: Modular, self-contained units typically housed in 20-foot shipping containers.

Development Stage: Commercialized and actively deployed.

Target Market/Condition: Utility, commercial and industrial, and microgrid applications worldwide. These systems are designed for applications such as peak shaving, critical load management for energy utilities, and green energy generators.

Key Features and Benefits:

Scalability: Modules are scalable from 40 to 80 kW. The technology also has the ability to scale to hundreds of megawatts.
Safety: Utilizes an intrinsically safe chemistry that is non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-explosive, suitable for deployment in densely populated areas.
Durability and Lifespan: Offers a 20-year lifespan with a 20-year performance guarantee and zero capacity fade, having achieved over 1 million cycles without capacity changes.
Versatility: Capable of simultaneously delivering both rapid, high-power discharges (like frequency regulation) and slower, long-duration releases (like time-shifting).
Cost-Effectiveness: Employs low-cost chemistry, construction materials, and manufacturing processes, utilizing globally abundant and inexpensive food-grade electrolytes.
Environmental Responsibility: Electrolytes are food-grade and easily recyclable.
Vanguard II Battery Stack: An enhancement to their proprietary flow battery technology, expanding the operating range, strengthening long-duration energy services, and improving fast switching and high power cycling capabilities. It eliminates issues like dendrite growth and simplifies cell balancing, demonstrating 20% greater capacity and immunity to cycle life degradation.

4. Technology & Innovation

Technology Stack

ViZn Energy Systems' core technology is a proprietary zinc-iron redox flow battery. This technology has been developed over more than eight years of engineering and research and development.

Core Platforms and Technologies: The batteries employ a hybrid flow battery design with alkaline electrochemical components dissolved in the electrolyte.

Proprietary Developments: The company holds several patents, including:

"Flow cell decontamination" (Patent number: 11585002 - pending, filed April 6, 2021)
"Flow cell with corrugated flow screen" (Patent number: 9620791, granted April 11, 2017)
"Flow cell with shunt current counter electrode" (Patent numbers: 9373861, granted June 21, 2016; 9214686, granted December 15, 2015)
"Electrode configured for turbulence" (Patent number: 8974940, granted March 10, 2015)
"Process for operating a redox flow battery system" (Patent number: 10003097, granted June 19, 2018)
"Mixing arrangement for a flow cell of an energy storage system" (Patent number: 9184454, granted November 10, 2015)
"Perforated electrode plate" (Patent number: 9276266, granted March 1, 2016)

Scientific Methodologies: The ViZn redox battery operates based on reduction-oxidation reactions within its unique alkaline electrolyte and zinc-iron components. This system is distinct in its ability to perform both rapid, high-power discharges and slower, long-duration releases, unlike other storage technologies that typically specialize in only one.

Technical Capabilities: The systems offer a 20-year lifespan with a 20-year performance guarantee, zero capacity fade, and full access to 100% of their state of charge. They have demonstrated over 1 million cycles without capacity changes or impact on revenue-grade performance. The systems are robust enough to tolerate extreme high-temperature environments and endure intense duty cycling across the full state of charge.

5. Leadership & Management

Executive Team

John Lowell: Chief Executive Officer (since June 2018). He served as Chief Operations Officer for six years prior to this role and also held the position of VP of Manufacturing and Product Development.

Richard M. Bendert: Director, Chief Battery Scientist. He is also a named inventor on several of ViZn's patents.

David Mintzer: Vice President, Business Development (appointed September 2014). He brings over 25 years of business development, sales, and marketing experience in renewables, electronics, and telecommunications, having previously served as VP of Business Development at ET Solar.

Del Allison: Vice President, Sales (appointed September 2014). He has over 30 years of high-tech sales and marketing experience, including executive sales positions at SolarBridge Technologies, Achronix Semiconductor, and PureEnergy Solutions.

Recent Leadership Changes

Significant leadership changes occurred between late 2017 and mid-2018.

Dave Mintzer, Vice President of Business Development, left the company in late 2017.

Craig Wilkins steeped down as Chairman.

Ron Van Dell resigned as President and CEO in January 2018, a role he held since May 2014.

Stephen Bonner assumed the role of Chairman of the Board and interim CEO from January to June 2018. He previously served as President and CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America and an advisor to private equity firms.

Following a $15 million funding round in June 2018, John Lowell, who previously served as COO for six years, was appointed CEO.

6. Talent and Growth Indicators

As of December 31, 2021, ViZn Energy Systems had 11 employees. Other sources estimate 37 employees in 2024 and 35 by PitchBook for 2025.
The company's "Careers" page lists open positions as of late 2025/early 2026, including Electrical Engineer and Sr. Electrical Engineer, based on-site in Columbia Falls, Montana. These roles indicate an ongoing focus on R&D and product development, particularly for next-generation grid storage technology, power control system development, and power distribution design. This suggests a trajectory of continued growth, particularly in its engineering and technical teams.

7. Social Media Presence and Engagement

Digital Footprint

ViZn Energy Systems maintains a YouTube channel, featuring videos published between 2013 and 2017. These videos explain flow battery technology, showcase the company's vision, and cover webinars on topics such as maximizing project revenue with versatile batteries and using energy storage in lieu of T&D upgrades. The latest content on their YouTube channel appears to be from 2017. The official website lists social media links for X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

8. Recognition and Awards

Industry Recognition

ViZn Energy Systems has received significant industry recognition and awards for its innovative energy storage technology:

Intersolar Munich 2014 - Energy Storage Award: Winner for "Excellence in Innovation; Safety and Market Focus" for their Z20 energy storage system.

Frost and Sullivan 2014: Winner of the "Product Strength and Design Excellence" and "Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award" for Energy Storage.

Black & Veatch: Provided a positive bankability study after reviewing ViZn flow batteries' design, performance, manufacturing quality, and company capabilities.

Navigant Research: Recognized as the top non-lithium ion (Li-ion) battery for grid storage.

9. Competitive Analysis

Major Competitors

ViZn Energy Systems operates within the growing flow battery market, competing with several established and emerging players in the large-scale energy storage sector. Key competitors include:

Primus Power: A venture capital-backed company also developing flow battery technology.

ESS: Focuses on energy storage solutions.

Delectrik: Operates in the energy storage domain.

JLM Energy: A competitor in energy management.

Eos Energy Storage: Concentrates on energy storage for utilities.

Aquion Energy: Competes in the manufacturing and industrial energy storage sector.

NantEnergy: Involved in energy storage solutions.

CALB: A public manufacturing and industrial company in the battery market.

VRB Energy: Focuses on vanadium redox battery technology.

The competitive landscape is heavily influenced by the widespread adoption and falling costs of alternative battery technologies, particularly lithium-ion, driven by the electric vehicle industry. ViZn Energy's zinc-iron redox flow battery differentiates itself through its inherent safety (non-toxic, non-flammable, non-explosive), long lifespan, versatility in performing both high-power and long-duration services, and the use of globally abundant, low-cost materials, offering a lower lifecycle cost compared to many competitors.

10. Market Analysis

Market Overview

The global flow battery market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing demand for energy storage systems to integrate renewable energy and modernize the grid.

Total Addressable Market Size:

Valued at USD 491.5 million in 2024.
Valued at USD 600.69 billion in 2025.
* Valued at USD 1,028.97 million in 2024.

Growth Potential: Projections indicate robust growth with Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) estimates ranging from 12.92% to 23.0% by 2030-2035, reaching market sizes between USD 1.18 billion and USD 4.465.95 billion.

Key Market Trends: The redox flow battery segment dominates the market, holding over 79.43% of the share in 2025, primarily due to the established nature and wider commercialization of technologies like Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. Asia Pacific holds the largest revenue share in the flow battery market (40.11% in 2024, 47.73% in 2023/2024), driven by substantial investments in renewable energy infrastructure and government support in countries such as China, Japan, and India. The market is characterized by a strong push for grid modernization and increased demand for backup power.

Market Challenges and Opportunities: The market faces challenges related to the upfront cost compared to established lithium-ion solutions but presents significant opportunities due to the long lifespan, safety, and versatility of flow batteries, especially for extensive grid-scale applications, microgrids, and balancing intermittent renewable energy sources.

11. Strategic Partnerships

ViZn Energy Systems has established key strategic partnerships to enhance its manufacturing capabilities, market reach, and solution offerings:

Jabil Circuit Inc.: Strategic manufacturing partner responsible for scaling up production of ViZn's redox flow batteries in their Florida facilities. This partnership helps ViZn meet existing and future order commitments.

Alpha Energy: Strategic alliance formed to offer turnkey energy storage solutions for large behind-the-meter, grid-edge, and utility-scale front-of-the-meter applications, including the expanding solar+storage market.

LFC Capital: Partnership to provide funding for leases (potentially up to $5 million per lease) for solar+energy storage projects, making them more accessible and affordable for property owners. This aims to accelerate the adoption of the Z20 Energy Storage System for commercial and industrial property owners implementing microgrids.

Hecate Energy: ViZn Energy Systems secured a contract to supply a 2 MW zinc-iron redox flow battery system for providing ancillary services to the Ontario grid.

Idaho National Laboratory (INL): ViZn received an order for a 128 kW/320 kWh redox flow battery system for a microgrid research, development, and demonstration testbed. The system was commissioned in Q2 2016.