How does a flow battery store energy?

The larger the electrolyte supply tank, the more energy the flow battery can store. The aqueous iron (Fe) redox flow battery here captures energy in the form of electrons (e-) from renewable energy sources and stores it by changing the charge of iron in the flowing liquid electrolyte.

How does a redox flow battery work?

The aqueous iron (Fe) redox flow battery here captures energy in the form of electrons (e-) from renewable energy sources and stores it by changing the charge of iron in the flowing liquid electrolyte. When the stored energy is needed, the iron can release the charge to supply energy (electrons) to the electric grid.

What is a flow battery?

New flow battery technologies are needed to help modernize the U.S. electric grid and provide a pathway for energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar power to be stored. (Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Can a water treatment facility repurpose a chemical for energy storage?

RICHLAND, Wash.— A commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities has been repurposed for large-scale energy storage in a new battery design by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The design provides a pathway to a safe, economical, water-based, flow battery made with Earth-abundant materials.

Can flow batteries be used as backup generators?

Flow batteries can serve as backup generators for the electric grid. Flow batteries are one of the key pillars of a decarbonization strategy to store energy from renewable energy resources. Their advantage is that they can be built at any scale, from the lab-bench scale, as in the PNNL study, to the size of a city block.

Is a flow battery safer than a lithium ion battery?

In terms of safety, a flow battery has an operating system with fewer critical issues to manage than a lithium ion battery, which needs several control systems to avoid harmful overloading and overheating. Because of the specific technology, stored energy in and power supplied by flow batteries are not intrinsically linked.