It should be noted that when talking about revolutionary batteries, we often refer to developments in the laboratory or new technologies that have not been tested in practice. like he said channel 24usually these are completely fantastic stories that we have written before.

But streaming batteries are something entirely different. This is a fact that is already with us, this is a working technology. As Will Lockett of Medium reports, Fort Carson, a US military base, has contracted Lockheed Martin to build a 10 MWh redox flow battery to store energy from the solar power plant.

Oxidation-reducing battery “Gridstar”/ Photo by Lockheed Martin

But why are the batteries draining properly? And all because they practically have a life cycle, are almost not subject to degradation, have significant strength and are almost 100% suitable for secondary processing.

How do flow batteries work?

Flow batteries are a type of electrochemical cell consisting of two chemical components dissolved in a liquid and separated by a membrane. The charge and discharge of batteries occurs by the transfer of ions from one component to another via the membrane.

Schematic view of a flow storage battery / Photo: sciencedirect

Batteries store electricity in tanks of liquid electrolytes, which are pumped through the electrodes to remove electrons. During the charging period, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines or grid power are used to provide the electrons to recharge the electrolyte. The electrolyte is stored in the tank during the storage period. During the discharge period, the liquid electrolyte is pumped through the electrodes to remove electrons and generate electricity.

The work of streaming batteries: watch the video

Why are flow batteries better than lithium-ion batteries?

The biggest advantage of flow batteries is that they can store energy in large volumes. Interest in flow batteries has increased significantly with the growing need for renewable energy storage. High-capacity batteries with huge electrolyte tanks can store large amounts of electricity.

It is very easy to increase the efficiency of such batteries – it is enough to enlarge the tank, and the electrolytic liquid is pumped into the “cell stack”, which includes a separator and electrodes. This creates a flow on the electrodes, which ensures a constant voltage and allows you to get a large capacity, taking into account the increase in the amount of electrolytic liquid.

The battery can be effectively adapted to your needs, making it more compact and more efficient to best suit whatever it does.

Most redox batteries use a vanadium electrolyte (known as a vanadium battery or VFB). As long as this fluid stays clear, it can go through millions of life cycles without losing any of its capacity. This is explained by the fact that the reduction and oxidation (commonly known as redox) process does not destroy the liquid and does not lead to the formation of harmful deposits. This is in contrast to lithium-ion batteries, which can only handle a few thousand charges before losing significant capacity.

In addition, vanadium is an element that is readily available in many different minerals that are easy to find. The rest of the battery is made of equally available materials that make it easy to assemble and recycle, unlike lithium-ion batteries, which require metals like cobalt and manganese to work.

Mining of these metals is not only harmful to the environment as it leaches toxic heavy metals from mines and causes significant habitat loss. But processing these metals and installing them in batteries also requires a lot of energy and planet-destroying carbon dioxide emissions. These metals are also highly toxic, making them difficult to recycle and dispose of at the end of their useful life. Overall this means that redox batteries are much better for the environment.

Flow batteries are cheaper

Simplicity combined with easy access to materials and ease of assembly make redox batteries incredibly inexpensive. Currently, lithium-ion batteries cost an average of $132 per kWh. But the cost of redox batteries can be as low as $25 per kWh.

But this cheapness does not apply only to one-time purchases. Li-ion batteries only last 10 to 20 years as the main battery. After that, they need to be replaced or expanded to compensate for the decrease in capacity. At the same time, redox batteries should last more than a century with minimal maintenance, making them exponentially cheaper in the long run.

Flow batteries have higher stability

Finally, there is the issue of security. Lithium-ion batteries can catch fire when overcharged or overheated. This has caused massive fires in everything from phones to electric cars. But a redox battery cannot catch fire. There is nothing flammable in it, which makes it safer. This allows flow batteries to be placed closer to the civilian population without any safety concerns, which can increase the efficiency of the power grid by reducing distances between utility batteries and consumers.

The main disadvantage of flow batteries

Despite all the advantages mentioned above, flow batteries still have one downside that hinders large-scale transition to this technology. This is a lower efficiency compared to the same lithium-ion batteries that deliver almost 100% energy.

Redox batteries are only 85% efficient. This means that a solar power plant with a redox battery must be 15% larger than a lithium-ion battery to have the same output power.

The future is solar energy

It might seem like such a widespread switch to flow batteries would have a negative impact on the environment, as it would require an increase in the number of solar panels, which would increase the carbon footprint and damage vital local ecosystems. But this is not necessarily so, and Will Lockett explains why.

According to recent research, careful selection of the location and design of solar power plants can allow them to be used as nature reserves and even contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. Therefore, a 15% increase in solar power plants is not a problem if it is designed correctly. Additionally, the carbon emissions from the production of additional panels must be more than offset by the carbon savings of using a flow battery. The same is true for cost. Solar panels aren’t that expensive anymore, so even if we need 15% more panels, the price increase should be less than the cost savings of a flow battery.

The future of solar energy is still ahead / Photo by Unsplash

Solar power is currently one of the cheapest and lowest carbon forms of energy we have. Redox batteries will take solar power to another level of affordability and sustainability, which is great because that’s what we need to save the world from climate catastrophe. We need every country to switch to high sustainable energy as soon as possible,
– says the journalist.

Therefore, in the near future, flow batteries together with solar panels can conquer the energy world and take us to a new level. Maybe we should really pay more attention not to thermonuclear energy but to the implementation of existing business solutions, because we already have the technology that could turn us into a carbon-neutral, planet-friendly species.