Re: Vanadium battery for wind and solar energy storage

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:28:43 -0800 (PST), BretCahill@xxxxxxxxxxxx
wrote:

Hi group!

Hi! (although I probably don't speak for everyone on this group.)

I can't recall any discussion of the vanadium redox flow battery here.
In short, it's a battery that utilises two different oxidation states
of vanadium in solution, It has a capacity that's determined only by
the amount of electrolyte in storage tanks. It seems that this kind of
battery really solves the problems with solar power only being
available during sunny hours, and wind power availaility only on windy
days.

?The Vanadium Redox Battery was invented at the University of New
South Wales, and you can read about it on their site:http://www.vrb.unsw.edu.au/

There's also a Wikipedia article about it here:
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanadium_redox_battery

From the Wikipedia article I quote what they say about current and
planned installations of such batteries. It gives an idea about the
possible scale of such installations:

<quote>
Currently installed vanadium batteries include:
? ? * A 1.5MW UPS system in a semiconductor fabrication plant in Japan
? ? * A 275 kW output balancer in use on a wind power project in the
Tomari Wind Hills of Hokkaido
? ? * A 200 kW, 800kWh output leveler in use at the Huxley Hill Wind
Farm on King Island, Tasmania
? ? * A 250 kW, 2MWh load leveler in use at Castle Valley, Utah
? ? * A 12 MWh flow battery is also to be installed at the Sorne Hill
wind farm, Donegal, Ireland [6].
<end quote>

By the existence of this kind of batteries, it seems to me that the
old arguments that wind power and solar only will be available when
the sun shines or the wind blows, is no longer a valid argument and
can no longer be taken seriously.

But that's just my opinion. What do you guys think?

Good for stationary applications but at $5/lb it sounds pretty
expensive.

Yes, it's very expensive, but it's a one-time cost. The electrolyte
doesn't deterorate over time, which is one of the greatest advantages
of this kind of battery. You make a big one-time investment, and you
can have a battery that will last for hundreds of years. Obviously
unappealing to the individual consumer, but a large company that makes
energy while the sun shines or the wind blows will find it worth it,
or so it seems, judging by the current applications of this
technology.

We need a battery made out of sea water.

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. Is there some research going
on along those lines?

S.
.

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