Technology has improved to the point where solar and wind energy are able to be produced at the same cost, or in many cases, cheaper than energy produced by fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. But the one big problem yet to solve to truly achieve grid parody for renewables is how to store surplus energy to be used when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
A new type of battery called a flow battery is one possible solution, say experts. Due to their design, materials, and engineering, flow batteries can store hundreds of megawatt-hours of energy in a much smaller footprint than traditional lithium-ion or other types of batteries.
Flow batteries are being tested at scale in installations all over the world, including at a massive wind farm in Hokkaido, Japan, according to the Washington Post.
Some of the hurdles toward widespread flow battery adoption are first cost and the fact that the batteries rely on a material called vanadium. Vanadium is rare and difficult to extract, and currently, China and Russia are the major suppliers of this metal, so the supply chain isn’t reliable.
Scientists are currently working on a workaround to replace vanadium in flow battery design. But one of the advantages of vanadium is that it doesn’t degrade and can last forever in a battery, easing the pain of the higher upfront first-cost of a vanadium flow battery, since it’ll last decades longer than a traditional battery.
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
