Flow battery energy storage technology video

How do flow batteries store energy?

Flow batteries, like the one ESS developed, store energy in tanks of liquid electrolytes—chemically active solutions that are pumped through the battery’s electrochemical cell to extract electrons. To increase a flow battery’s storage capacity, you simply increase the size of its storage tank.

How can MIT help develop flow batteries?

A modeling framework developed at MIT can help speed the development of flow batteries for large-scale, long-duration electricity storage on the future grid.

What is a Technology Strategy assessment on flow batteries?

This technology strategy assessment on flow batteries, released as part of the Long-Duration Storage Shot, contains the findings from the Storage Innovations (SI) 2030 strategic initiative.

What is a flow battery?

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.

Can flow batteries be used for large-scale electricity storage?

Associate Professor Fikile Brushett (left) and Kara Rodby PhD ’22 have demonstrated a modeling framework that can help speed the development of flow batteries for large-scale, long-duration electricity storage on the future grid. Brushett photo: Lillie Paquette. Rodby photo: Mira Whiting Photography

Can flow batteries be used as backup generators?

If they are scaled up to the size of a football field or more, 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.