(Redox) Flow Battery

Piwoslaw · 05-20-18, 03:55 PM

I just found out about a method for storing energy - the (Redox) Flow Battery or RFB.

In short - It is a battery which stores the energy in separate electrolyte tanks, instead of all together in one package. Some of the recently tested solutions are water-based, non-toxic and not flammable, so the RFB could become cheaper, and could be stored in a household basement. The power (battery/membrane) and energy (electrolyte) components are independent of each other, so either can be scaled, expanded or replaced according to needs. RFBs supposedly do not have a limit on the number of charge/discharge cycles, and can be safely discharged as deep as 0%.

I found somewhere that if the cost could come below 100USD per kWh, then it would make Renewable Energy more competitive than traditional power plants. (The lowest cost commercial RFB I could find - Imergy ESP30 - is around 300USD per kWh)

Also found an article that proposed using RFB on a micro scale in between electronic chips, as RFBs could supposedly cool these chips while powering them.

Has anyone read anything more up to date on the possibilities of these? Whether they are already mainstream for microgrids or big utilities?

05-20-18, 03:55 PM	#1
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 964 Thanks: 189 Thanked 111 Times in 87 Posts	(Redox) Flow Battery I just found out about a method for storing energy - the (Redox) Flow Battery or RFB. In short - It is a battery which stores the energy in separate electrolyte tanks, instead of all together in one package. Some of the recently tested solutions are water-based, non-toxic and not flammable, so the RFB could become cheaper, and could be stored in a household basement. The power (battery/membrane) and energy (electrolyte) components are independent of each other, so either can be scaled, expanded or replaced according to needs. RFBs supposedly do not have a limit on the number of charge/discharge cycles, and can be safely discharged as deep as 0%. I found somewhere that if the cost could come below 100USD per kWh, then it would make Renewable Energy more competitive than traditional power plants. (The lowest cost commercial RFB I could find - Imergy ESP30 - is around 300USD per kWh) Also found an article that proposed using RFB on a micro scale in between electronic chips, as RFBs could supposedly cool these chips while powering them. Has anyone read anything more up to date on the possibilities of these? Whether they are already mainstream for microgrids or big utilities? __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.