|
Flow/Redox
Batteries
Management Report
|
|
This report
forms part of EscoVale's management study on electrical energy storage
technologies applications and markets.
The flow battery
report, available in printed or electronic format, provides a timely
analysis of one of the more compelling storage technologies. There can be
no doubt that it would be on the receiving end of a multi-$bn stampede,
if products were available today at the performance and price levels
envisaged for mature systems. It has all the hallmarks of a winning
technology - there are obvious but largely unexploited market
opportunities; diverse application areas; massive potential markets; a
proven track-record, demonstrating that at least some variants of the
technology actually work; plausible routes to achieving cost-reduction and
performance-improvement targets; and modest technical risk.
This is a dangerous
time, as developers of every other wunderkind energy technology can
testify! As usual, it will take longer and cost more than developers
can readily afford, to complete the development of acceptable,
market-ready products; and yet more time before these are accepted as
mainstream solutions by cautious purchasers - who have got by quite well
up to now, without any help from flow batteries. A sizeable casualty list
will grow further, but the rewards for those still standing when the
market finally lifts off are already attracting new developers, backers and
well-wishers.
This report is an
essential management guide, enabling readers to gain a thorough and
independent insight into the flow battery sector, and to assess fully its
implications for their organizations.
Numerous flow / redox
battery technologies are under development (several vanadium categories, zinc bromine,
iron chromium, cerium zinc,
polysulphide bromine and others). Their development status ranges
from laboratory based R&D through to field demonstrators on the verge
of commercialization. Target applications start at single-digit kW power
levels and extend to 10s and ultimately 100s of MW.
The business case for a particular
installation will normally include a high-energy (multi-hour)
duty, but flow batteries can be very responsive and thus have the potential
to generate additional revenue through provision of power quality or other
functions - at the minute, second or millisecond level.
A key feature of most flow batteries is that the
energy is stored in charged electrolytes, outside the cell. There are major benefits in
separating the "power" function (determined by the size and
number of cells) from the "energy" function (determined by the
volume of electrolyte). Flow batteries can be built with a much
greater storage capacity than most other battery types. The inert electrodes
confer another
distinctive flow battery feature - exceptional cycle life. In
addition to electrical recharging, flow batteries can be rapidly
replenished by electrolyte exchange (and, in one innovation, by converting the chemical energy
in a feedstock). Properties such
as these, together with the promise of commercial viability within a
marketplace that is increasingly receptive to storage, justify the strong interest in flow batteries that has developed
in recent years.
The objective of this report is to give a thorough understanding of the technical and
commercial issues for each technology, providing a solid framework within
which potential users, investors and suppliers can make informed
decisions. This is accompanied by an objective review of market prospects,
where the fact that this is part of a study covering many storage technologies helps to avoid the bias
often encountered in single-topic studies.
The best part of 20MW and 100MWh of flow battery installations have
demonstrated the concept.
As developers attempt to move from prototypes and demonstrators to
commercial-scale production, this report offers insights into the issues
that they will face and the market opportunities that will follow.
More than half the
report is allocated to the applications and commercial prospects for
long duration storage. We investigate the nature of the opportunity and
the scale of the accessible markets in: renewable energy projects;
supply-side and user-side energy management; end-user applications
associated with high integrity power provision, distributed generation,
off-grid / weak grid locations; and a range of mobile applications. We
analyze the development of these markets, and their accessibility to
products such as flow batteries, providing a sound basis for realistic
forecasts.
The forecasts
have global scope. They cover the difficult near-term period, the
transition to the next market expansion phase (expected to begin in
earnest in the early 2010s), the subsequent evolution to 2025; and
longer term development to 2050. Forecasts are given in MW/year
(aggregate rated power), GWh/year (aggregate storage capacity per
cycle), value and units. The report includes estimates of the changing
market distribution, by territory, application and rating.
Flow
Batteries: Technologies, Applications and Markets is a report of some 300
pages prepared by a
team including EscoVale personnel and others
(notably Anthony Price of Swanbarton). EscoVale has supplied around 500 management reports concerned with
emerging energy technologies, to more than 150 clients from
six continents, giving it a leading position in this area.
Anthony Price
has worked for engineering contractors and consultants in a variety of
technical and commercial roles and has considerable experience in
developing and commercializing energy storage technologies. He has
worked in intellectual property strategy and administration, market
research and due diligence work for technology transfer and new business
development. He is a member of the US DOE’s Peer Review Panel on Energy
Storage Systems, and a member of the Electricity Storage Association’s
advisory committee, having been an elected director for five years.
Please
click for Pricing
and Ordering Details
or click
here for
the Report
Leaflet
Top of Page |
|
