When Meng Jintao was a child, power outages in his rural hometown sparked his curiosity: Why can't we store electricity during regular times and use it when the power goes out?

Now 29, Meng has turned this childhood curiosity into reality with his advanced iron-based flow energy storage system.

Distinguished by its substantial storage capacity, high safety standards, and long-term durability, this technology represents a major advancement in energy storage.

To further develop his innovation, Meng founded JA Energy Storage Wuhan Technology Co., Ltd. in Central China's Hubei province.

In 2013, Meng began his studies at Hefei University of Technology in Anhui, East China, majoring in new energy materials and devices.

During his university years, he traveled to Qinghai and Gansu provinces in Northwest China for research, where he observed the initial successes of wind and solar power projects. However, he learned from power station staff that much of the energy generated by wind turbines was unstable and could not be effectively used.

It was during this period that Meng recognized the urgent need for advanced storage solutions to stabilize energy supply and release it steadily to the grid, thereby increasing efficiency.

This realization led him to develop the iron-based flow energy storage system.

"This system functions like a large power bank for cities," he explained.

According to Meng, while lithium batteries are well-established, there is a growing need for a more affordable and safer storage solution.

He chose iron for its cost-efficiency and the abundant availability of iron resources in China. Iron-based flow energy storage systems are also more economical and use water as a solvent, making them fire-resistant and safer.