Port louis vanadium battery energy storage project

What is Australia's first commercial vanadium-flow battery?

Australia's first commercial vanadium-flow battery has been completed in South Australia's mid north and is expected to be running and exporting power by August. Yadlamalka Energy has been undertaking the Spencer Energy Project at Bungama, outside of Port Pirie, where the 2-megawatt/8MW-hour battery is connected to a grid of solar panels.

How does a vanadium battery work?

The vanadium is then converted into an electrolyte which holds the ions and stores the electricity inside the battery. The battery will be able to store 10 gigawatts of energy per year. (Supplied: Yadlamalka Energy)

What are vanadium redox flow batteries?

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are stationary batteries that provide long-duration energy storage. They are installed worldwide to store many hours of generated renewable energy. Samantha McGahan of Australian Vanadium discusses the electrolyte, which is the single most important material for making vanadium flow batteries.

Will introducing vanadium batteries reduce peak energy prices in Australia?

"Introducing vanadium batteries will reduce peak energy prices in Australia. "When electricity prices are negative, we'll be buying the electricity and that will help stabilise the grid, and when prices are high, we'll be selling power into the grid — that margin will have the effect to reduce prices. "We're on the verge of a vanadium revolution."

When will a battery storage system start in South Australia?

Renewables firm Pangea Energy and vanadium battery producer CellCube have signed an agreement to build a 50MW/200MWh battery storage system alongside a solar farm in South Australia. Construction of the grid-scale battery is expected to begin before the end of the year, with plans to be operational in 2020.

Which material is used to make vanadium flow batteries?

The liquid electrolyte is the single most important material for making vanadium flow batteries, a leading contender for providing several hours of storage cost-effectively. Samantha McGahan of Australian Vanadium writes about this crucial component.