Vanadium redox battery

Vanadium redox battery
Specific energy10–20 Wh/kg (36–72 J/g)
Energy density15–25 Wh/L (54–65 kJ/L)
Energy efficiency75–90%[1][2]
Time durability20–30 years
Cycle durability>12,000–14,000 cycles[3]
Nominal cell voltage1.15–1.55 V
Schematic design of a vanadium redox flow battery system[4]
1 MW 4 MWh containerized vanadium flow battery owned by Avista Utilities and manufactured by UniEnergy Technologies
A vanadium redox flow battery located at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

The vanadium redox battery (VRB), also known as the vanadium flow battery (VFB) or vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB), is a type of rechargeable flow battery. It employs vanadium ions as charge carriers.[5] The battery uses vanadium's ability to exist in a solution in four different oxidation states to make a battery with a single electroactive element instead of two.[6] For several reasons, including their relative bulkiness, vanadium batteries are typically used for grid energy storage, i.e., attached to power plants/electrical grids.[7]

Numerous companies and organizations are involved in funding and developing vanadium redox batteries.

  1. ^ Skyllas-Kazacos, Maria; Kasherman, D.; Hong, D.R.; Kazacos, M. (September 1991). "Characteristics and performance of 1 kW UNSW vanadium redox battery". Journal of Power Sources. 35 (4): 399–404. Bibcode:1991JPS....35..399S. doi:10.1016/0378-7753(91)80058-6.
  2. ^ M. Skyllas-Kazacos, M. Rychcik and R. Robins, in AU Patent 575247 (1986), to Unisearch Ltd.
  3. ^ Electricity Storage and Renewables: Costs and Markets to 2030. IRENA (2017), Electricity Storage and Renewables: Costs and Markets to 2030, International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi.
  4. ^ Qi, Zhaoxiang; Koenig, Gary M. (July 2017). "Review Article: Flow battery systems with solid electroactive materials". Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Materials, Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena. 35 (4): 040801. Bibcode:2017JVSTB..35d0801Q. doi:10.1116/1.4983210. ISSN 2166-2746.
  5. ^ Laurence Knight (14 June 2014). "Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood". BBC. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  6. ^ Alotto, P.; Guarnieri, M.; Moro, F. (2014). "Redox Flow Batteries for the storage of renewable energy: a review". Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. 29: 325–335. Bibcode:2014RSERv..29..325A. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.08.001. hdl:11577/2682306.
  7. ^ James Purtill (2 February 2023). "Vanadium redox flow batteries can provide cheap, large-scale grid energy storage. Here's how they work". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 June 2023.