Who has the world’s largest battery in the world? The answer will soon be China. A battery that will help with grid stability in what is known as the Dalian peninsula in Norther China. The companies behind the large battery are UniEnergy Technologies and Rongke Power. The battery will be capable of a whopping 800MWh. The battery is not a lithium-ion battery but rather a vanadium flow battery. The battery works differently to lithium-ion due to the liquid tanks that are utilized only when a charge is needed, whereas lithium-ion batteries need to be constantly charged and discharged.
Credit: Clean Technica
UniEnergy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory improved vanadium flow batteries with the introduction of hydrochloric acid into the electrolyte solution and increased the capacity of storage by 70%. They have been given the name ‘Redox Flow Battery’. The Department of Energy in the United States described the batteries back in 2012, saying: “The redox flow battery is well suited for storing intermittent, renewable energy on the electricity grid. The technology can help balance supply and demand, prevent disruptions and meet the grid’s varying load requirements. Redox flow batteries can also help utilities during times of peak demand on the grid, providing additional power when it is needed. Successful commercialization of DOE-sponsored technology development, such as this, is vital for creating the grid of the future, and sustaining U.S. leadership in advanced technology.”
Now UET has built the 800MWh battery and China has scooped it up. The battery is a collaborative effort toward the US-China EcoPartnership that will see a ceremony being hosted on June 7 th .
“This visionary project is a watershed moment for the energy storage industry, vaulting China’s electric grid into the 21st century, supplying tremendous resilience and enabling seamless deep penetration of renewable energy,” said Rick Winter, UniEnergy Technologies’ president and COO.
UET is hoping to shave 8% of the Dalian Peninsula’s load by 2020 with the flow battery.
Source: PR Newswire / Clean Technica
