On 4 November 2017, the China government awarded a contract for a 12 MWh vanadium flow battery at Zaoyang, Hubei. This is the first phase of a 40 megawatt-hour project to relieve pressure on the grid. It will be in collaboration with solar panels that will supply the charge.
Could Vanadium Flow Battery Energy Turn the Carbon Tide?
Success will lead to 100 MWh, and even 500 MWh projects following. Because China intends this to be a cornerstone for a Hubei Province smart energy project. Supplier Pu Neng Energy believes this is a ‘tantalizing glimpse of the future of the Chinese electricity grid.’
The company sees the country halting construction of ‘many coal-fired power plants’, and pushing the integration of renewable energy with energy storage. Moreover, China is the largest supplier of vanadium in the world so it has resources too.
Vanadium flow, or vanadium redox batteries are self-contained, non-flammable, relatively compact installations containing two liquids.
A pump moves them past each other on either side of a membrane, exchanging electrons as they charge and discharge. Moreover, there is no degradation if left in a fully discharged state.
Furthermore, vanadium flow batteries have an operational life of over twenty years. The Pu Neng company rates its flow battery for ‘over 100,000 cycles at full depth-of-discharge’, and claims the product ‘does not wear out like lithium and lead-acid’.
So What’s the Catch with Vanadium Flow Technology?
Right now, there does not seem to be a catch. The technology adapts well to grid storage conditions. U.S. battery manufacturer UniEnergy plans to deliver vanadium flow batteries at $500 per kilowatt-hour.However, it hopes to see this fall to $300 per kilowatt-hour because of recycling.
So yes, we have reached a milestone with green energy, grid storage, and vanadium technology. We live in exciting times, and we are thrilled to be part of them.
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Preview Image: Pu Neng Factory
