(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?

oil pan 4 · 05-20-18, 07:25 PM

Sounds like an Edison cell.

$300 per KwH is astounding.
If I wanted to make 1 KwH out of LiFePO4 cells it would cost some where around $1,000 with the lowest price I have ever seen on 20AH prizmatic cells.
That's just for the cells, not hooking them up or including the enclosure.

05-20-18, 03:55 PM	#1
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 922 Thanks: 175 Thanked 95 Times in 78 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.

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05-20-18, 07:25 PM	#2
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,006 Thanks: 12 Thanked 125 Times in 105 Posts	Sounds like an Edison cell. $300 per KwH is astounding. If I wanted to make 1 KwH out of LiFePO4 cells it would cost some where around $1,000 with the lowest price I have ever seen on 20AH prizmatic cells. That's just for the cells, not hooking them up or including the enclosure.