An Australian developer of vanadium flow batteries says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with global aluminium giant Alcoa to study the use of the technology at its major alumina refinery operations in Western Australia.
Australian Vanadium Limited and its energy storage subsidiary VSUN Energy said this week the study will assess both the financial and technical merits of deploying a vanadium flow battery system with a capacity somewhere in the range of 50 to 80 megawatts (MW) and storage duration of between 6 to 8 hours, or possibly longer.
AVL and VSUN are already bidding for a state government contract to deliver a 50 MW, 500 MWh vanadium flow battery for the goldfields city of Kalgoorlie and surroundings, in a move designed to both boost grid reliability and underpin the development of the vanadium mining industry in the state.
AVL and VSUN Energy will be doing the heavy lifting on the 18-month Alcoa study, and will be responsible for the battery system design, technical specifications, costings, electrolyte supply considerations, development of project financing options, and assessment of potential government funding opportunities.
Alternative storage technologies to lithium ion are starting to emerge, particularly in those industries where lithium is considered an unacceptably high fire risk.
