https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/29/a-redox-flow-battery-for-grid-scale-solar-plus-storage/
[links in online article]
A redox flow battery for MW-sized solar-plus-storage
Matt Harper, chief commercial officer of newly-merged British-Canadian
vanadium redox flow battery business Invinity Energy Systems has spoken
to pv magazine about the VS3-022 Battery Unit it is marketing for grid
scale solar-plus-storage projects and why it may be a better bet than
lithium-ion.
April 29, 2020 Emiliano Bellini
The new company says its typical customer wants at least 1 MW of
solar-plus-storage capacity.
With London-based private company redT energy and transatlantic peer
Avalon Battery Corp last month announcing a £57.7 million merger ($71.6
million) to form vanadium redox flow battery manufacturer Invinity
Energy Systems, Matt Harper, chief commercial officer of the new entity,
has spoken to pv magazine about the VS3-022 Battery Unit Invinity is
offering for grid scale solar-plus-storage projects.
The Invinity representative said the company, which was formed via a
reverse takeover and is listed on the London Stock Exchange, has more
than 40 operating flow battery storage projects. “The majority of our
fleet is in service alongside megawatt-scale PV projects,” said Harper.
“This includes a 1 MWh project in Iowa, USA, which is supporting a 1 MW
behind-the-meter PV array, and a 2 MWh energy storage system in Qinghai
province, China, that is installed as part of a 1.6 GW solar park.”
With Invinity targeting the solar-plus-storage market, its typical
customer wants at least 1 MW of solar-plus-storage capacity, according
to Harper.
The VS3-022 battery has a reported storage capacity of 220 kWh and
continuous maximum DC power of 76 kW. Annual degradation of storage
capacity is indicated at less than 0.5% and energy efficiency annual
degradation is less than 0.1%, according to the manufacturer. The 6.058
x 2.438 x 2.4m battery has an ambient operating temperature range of –5
to 45 degrees Celsius and a lifetime of 25 years and 20,000 cycles,
according to Invinity, although Harper claimed the product does not
degrade at all with use.
Cost
“Industry analysts estimate fully installed lithium-ion prices at around
$450/kWh for C&I [commercial and industrial] projects and our vanadium
redox flow batteries are the same price or cheaper on an upfront cost
basis,” said Harper, who said Invinity products offer a lower levelized
cost of storage than lithium-ion alternatives.
“In applications where the batteries are used daily, we’re around 30%
below lithium today, on a levelized basis, with a clear path to 60%
below lithium within two to three years,” added the chief commercial
officer.
The flow batteries, said Harper, are ideally suited to heavy cycling
applications and those requiring long duration charging and discharging
for more than three hours, for example when coupled with intermittent
renewables or to provide grid services. “They are well suited for use
alongside utility scale solar PV plants and in commercial and industrial
applications, as for example in data centers, water treatment sites,
distribution centers and recycling facilities – especially when coupled
with solar as they can provide significant energy savings, access to new
revenue streams and [can] help to meet carbon reduction targets more
quickly.”
Although such devices are not appropriate for household systems,
vanadium flow batteries can be used for community microgrid and “end of
street” applications, Harper told pv magazine.
Potential
Invinity says its battery offers five key benefits. “In addition to the
significant costs benefits I’ve already stated,” said Harper, “our
systems are fully recyclable, they don’t degrade with use, they are
longer-duration and longer-lifetime than lithium and they pose no fire
risk. In fact they are more likely to put out a fire than start one.”
The Invinity spokesman said customers are beginning to explore
alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. “There are a range of predictions
out there for the potential growth of the flow market over the coming
years, with some experts predicting that it could reach £3.5 billion by
2028,” said Harper.
The chief commercial officer refused to comment on long-term cost
reduction plans but pointed out the cost of Avalon’s vanadium flow
technology has fallen by half since commercial launch of the Oakland
business’ second generation product in 2017.
With the new company active in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia
and Africa with more than 10 MWh of systems installed, Harper added:
“The west-coast of the USA is a very interesting market and there’s also
huge potential in Australia, Germany and some Eastern European countries
that are reforming their electricity markets.”
=====================================
To subscribe, unsubscribe, turn vacation mode on or off,
or carry out other user-actions for this list, visit
https://www.freelists.org/list/keiths-list
Note: new climate change website is now in pre-launch
Visit https://www.10n10.ca/e/index.shtml