Will new vanadium flow batteries replace fossil energy?

The US Department of Energy has tapped six sites to host new vanadium flow batteries, aiming to replace fossil energy with renewables.

Are vanadium flow batteries a viable storage solution?

Vanadium is vying to become another favourite among the likes of minerals like lithium. Vanadium flow batteries (VFBs), originally invented in Australia in the 1980s, have popped into the picture as another viable storage solution as these batteries are potentially safer, cheaper and longer lasting than their lithium counterparts.

What is growing demand for a vanadium flow battery?

“What’s growing demand is the adoption of the vanadium flow battery,” he said. “In Asia — China in particular — Northern Europe and North America, the adoption of that battery is growing very quickly. “For every gigawatt hour of battery storage, you need 10,000t of vanadium pentoxide.

Will vanadium flow batteries become more popular in 2040?

According to the IEA, if VFBs achieve widespread commercialisation earlier than expected, then utility-scale storage technology could likely shift towards vanadium flow batteries, resulting in 2.5 times more demand for vanadium compared to the base case in 2030 and 50% more demand in 2040. Where will all this vanadium come from?

What is invinity doing with vanadium flow batteries?

As described by Invinity, the lab will be investigating and assessing various use cases for vanadium flow batteries over the next 10 years under its Lab Call platform, including applications for grid operators and microgrids. On its part, Invinity is anticipating widespread use for its flow batteries.

Are vanadium batteries more cost efficient?

In the long run, vanadium batteries are more cost efficient considering their longer life cycle compared with other storage batteries. A lithium battery can normally work for around 10 years, but a vanadium battery can run for 20-30 years.