World's first grid-scale iron-chromium redox flow battery installed in California

5-26-14

The battery system accompanies a PV plant at an almond orchard in Central California. Image: EnerVaultThe battery system accompanies a PV plant at an almond orchard in Central California. Image: EnerVault

The California Energy Commission (CEC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have dedicated a long-duration, 250 kW iron-chromium redox flow battery in Turlock in California's Central Valley. The battery will support a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with dual-axis tracking at an almond orchard.

This is the first energy storage system using this technology to be deployed at the grid scale. EnerVault Corp. (Sunnyvale, California, U.S.) designed and manufactured the battery system, supported by a combination of private funding and research and development (R&D) grants from DOE and CEC.

“The EnerVault Turlock system demonstrates the viability of iron-chromium redox flow batteries at the grid-scale,” said DOE Energy Storage Program Manager Imre Gyuk.

“Long-duration energy storage, like EnerVault's is the lynchpin to grid stability as we achieve high penetration of renewable energy.”

“We are very proud of EnerVault's success as a member of the DOE ARRA Storage Demonstration Program as it is the first battery of its class of grantees to reach field commissioning.”

Project moves from prototype to deployment in under 5 years

EnerVault estimates that it took the project from laboratory prototype to grid connection in less than five years. The company says that long-duration energy storage systems are emerging as a critical component of efficient grid operation as older conventional plants are replaced by PV and wind.

http://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/current/2014/kw22/worlds-first-grid-scale-iron-chromium-redox-flow-battery-installed-in-california.html