Vanadium News, page-87

Some interesting developments for VRFB's and application to microgrids in Australia.

See article below published in EnergyStorage Portal three days ago on 28th July 2023.
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Pilot Project to Explore Flow Battery Technology in Australian Microgrids

Horizon Power, an Australian utility company, plans to pilot the use of flow battery technology for long-duration energy storage (LDES) in its energy network. The government-owned utility has ordered a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) from Invinity Energy Systems, marking the first procurement of this technology by an Australian energy utility.
Horizon Power will trial Invinity’s 78kW/220kWh VS3 model VRFB in the town of Kununurra in Western Australia. The aim is to evaluate the role of VRFB technology in reducing fossil fuel consumption in Horizon’s distributed energy networks.

As microgrids become increasingly significant for Horizon Power, with the utility already owning 34 microgrids serving around 100,000 customers and 10,000 businesses, the adoption of flow battery technology offers new opportunities. Invinity’s VRFB will also be installed in South Australia’s first grid-scale VRFB installation.

Horizon Power CEO Stephanie Unwin highlighted the advantages of long-duration energy storage, including backup power during peak demand or power interruptions, high-volume energy storage during low-demand periods, and the ability to shift energy storage to nighttime hours. VRFB technology is resilient to warm temperatures and aligns with the critical needs of Horizon Power’s networks while minimizing the reliance on costly fossil fuel generation and grid infrastructure upgrades.