In the race to transition away from fossil fuels, the need for long-duration energy storage systems is becoming increasingly crucial. While lithium-ion batteries have served as a reliable source of energy storage for several hours, the future demands systems that can sustain clean energy production for extended periods. This is where flow batteries come into play.
Flow batteries, which operate on the movement of specialized fluids to generate electricity, offer a promising solution for long-duration energy storage. Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries that degrade over time, flow batteries are known for their longevity and ability to maintain a charge even during long periods of inactivity.
One key player in the flow battery market is Invinity Energy Systems, a UK-based firm that specializes in vanadium flow batteries. Vanadium, a versatile and abundant metal, is favored for its abundance, non-toxicity, and relatively low cost, making it an ideal choice for flow battery technology.
Invinity’s vanadium flow batteries have already made waves in the energy storage industry, with plans to deploy a total of 84 megawatt-hours’ worth of batteries at six different sites in the US. These batteries will be used to balance intermittent wind and solar generation, improve grid resilience, and demonstrate the benefits of longer-duration energy storage technologies.
The Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will provide technical assistance for these projects, which are expected to pave the way for wider adoption of flow batteries in the future. With flow batteries showing great potential for revolutionizing the energy storage landscape, the future of clean, sustainable energy looks brighter than ever.
