StorEn Vanadium Flow Batteries

This article was sponsored by StorEnTech. [Cough Cough]

The 2018 Advanced Energy Conference, titled “The Future of Energy is Here,” wrapped up its three-day event in New York City on March 29th.

The robust agenda of North America’s most comprehensive and influential energy event explored topics headlining energy news today — energy storage and efficiency, smart buildings, microgrids, alternative fuel vehicles, modern utility grids, and, of course, wind, solar, and geothermal power.

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As part of one of the roundtable panel discussions, “Technology to Market,” StorEn’s Chief Technical Officer, Angelo D’Anzi, shared information about StorEn’s vanadium flow battery and addressed the following topics:

Technological and Performance Advantages of StorEn’s Patent-Pending Batteries

Although history shows redox fuel cell concepts emerged around 1955, NASA brought the idea to life in the ’70s during the energy crisis of that time. Solutions for saving large amounts of energy reliably and safely existed with stationary electrical energy storage systems, but early efforts required a large mass of chemicals and proved too cost prohibitive for broad distribution. NASA continued development but struggled to find a solution that would deliver efficiency in fluctuating temperatures. In addition, the use of multiple chemicals — iron/chromium or iron/titanium increased the risk of cross-contamination in the electrolyte solution.

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The result is an initial battery price of $400 per kWh of energy storage capacity, 20% less than lithium alternatives. But the longer 25-year battery lifecycle, combined with full rechargeability and reusability, delivers a cost of $0.02/cycle, which is 88% less expensive than lithium-based batteries.

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