Numerous power plants have chosen to work with energy storage systems in order to store the excess power of renewable energy and achieve stable power grids, including the common and the rapid responding lithium ion battery energy storage system, though there are additional choices, such as pairing up solar and tidal power plants with vanadium flow batteries (VFB).
Redox flow power provides electricity through two extensive storage cans, with a “power generation zone” at the junction between the two storage cans, and the chemical solution will derive ion exchange and start to discharge or store power through the thin film, when it is flown to the power generation zone. The most common flow battery right now is the vanadium redox battery (VRB) that has a large capacity and is relatively applicable on power grid-grade energy storage systems.
The 1MW solar power plant of Scottish Water will be working with Invinity on installing an 800MWh flow battery plant, and plan to transform commercial solar panels into green power source that can be regulated swiftly.
UK-based RedT Energy and US-based Avalon announced a merger during March 2020, and the two became Invinity, who wishes to integrate the relevant technology and accelerate on the cost reduction of construction, as well as expand on the commercial arrangement of flow batteries, through this particular collaboration.
The processing and manufacturing advantages of RedT, and the system-level technology and flexible modular advantages of Avalon will be assimilated in the future. Matt Harper, CCO of Invinity, commented that the cost of products has been lowered by 20-30% compared to a year ago, and that the lifespan and reliability of the products have been extended, which will continue in the future.
The company has announced the world’s largest solar energy and flow battery project to date. The Yadlamalka power plant in South Australia, worth approximately AU$20 million in total investment, with roughly AU$5.78 million of subsidy from the Australian Renewable Energy Bureau, has paired 6MW solar energy with a unit of 8MWh VFB, and will be providing services including power grid stabilization and frequency control in the future, in addition to transferring the excess power from solar plants.
Invinity also disclosed last month that its flow batteries will also be integrated with the tidal power equipment of the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) from Orkney Islands of Scotland. Ed Porter, Director of Business Development for Invinity, commented that tides usually come as semi-diurnal tides, with two high tides and two low tides in a single day, and four cycles will transform the property of the tidal energy into something that is suitable for flow batteries, which can be applied on the production of green hydrogen in the future.
Harper commented that such a development project also facilitates the company in marching forward along a cost reducing curve.
(Cover photo source: Invinity)
