A Low Cost Utility-Scale Flow Battery with a New Chemistry

The advantages of vanadium redox flow batteries include long cycle life, high efficiency, and large capacity, which make them attractive for utility-scale applications. Despite these advantages, the industry has been slow to adopt vanadium redox batteries for commercial use, mostly because of cost considerations and toxicity issues. This calls for alternative, lower-cost flow battery chemistry. This project will demonstrate the feasibility of a flow battery with a new chemistry that utilizes non-toxic, less corrosive and inexpensive materials for the cathode, anode, and electrolyte. In addition, the discharged state of the cathode and anode in the proposed flow battery will be the same as in existing versions, which will make the system easy to manufacture and tolerant of the mixing of cathode and anode active materials. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee The advanced flow battery would be used in conjunction with renewable green energy sources ¿ such as solar, wind, and fuel cell generators ¿ which are intermittent sources of power. The flow battery could be produced on a large scale, with high efficiency and a long cycle life, which would compensate for intermittent power generation and ensure that the electricity would be reliably available 24 hours a day