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https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-better-ways-of-storing-renewable-electricity-for-later-thats-where-flow-batteries-can-help-245570>
"As more and more solar and wind energy enters Australia’s grid, we will need
ways to store it for later.
We can store electricity in several different ways, from pumped hydroelectric
systems to large lithium-ion battery systems. We can also use flow batteries.
These are a lesser-known cross between a conventional battery and a fuel cell.
Flow batteries can feed energy back to the grid for up to 12 hours – much
longer than lithium-ion batteries which only last four to six hours.
I was one of the inventors of one of the main types of flow battery in the
1980s. It has taken decades to bring batteries like these to commercial
viability. But they are, finally, arriving in earnest.
This year, the Australian government launched a national battery strategy to
expand domestic manufacturing of batteries. This A$500 million strategy will
focus on the well-known lithium-ion batteries which power phones and cars. But
it will also include flow batteries.
Batteries are becoming more and more important. They can now power cars, houses
and even cities. Huge amounts are being spent on commercialising new battery
chemistries to electrify transport and make it possible to green the power
grid.
To date, most of Australia’s grid-scale batteries use chemistries such as
lithium-ion. But as our grid shifts to renewables, we’ll need longer duration
storage to eliminate the need for fossil fuel backup generators. That’s a task
well suited to flow batteries."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
