Flow Batteries
Flow batteries store energy in liquid active materials, unlike the solid ones used in most other chemistries, which makes it easier to scale energy storage systems to large sizes and long discharge durations. This is ideal for integrating high penetrations of renewable energy to the grid.
LUX TAKE:
In today's grid, where natural gas is the default solution for balancing electricity supply and demand, flow batteries have little appeal save for integrating renewables where gas infrastructure is unavailable. In a future grid with a high penetration of wind and solar, flow batteries can play a critical role, providing carbon-free bulk capacity.
News Commentaries
ARPA-E selects 10 projects for $28 million ultra-long-duration energy storage grant (September 19, 2018)
PG&E requests approval for energy storage projects totaling 567.5 MW (June 29, 2018)