All-organic redox flow batteries to replace toxic VRFB

• A group of researchers from several European universities and research centres is creating innovative all-organic flow batts. New ORFBs are claimed to feature high capacity, energy density, durability, and environmental sustainability.

The research is headed by Spain’s CIC EnergiGUNE and has been funded with 3.8mn euros by EC. The device will comprise cheap organic electrolytes solvable in water, fast electrodes, and a membrane with low resistance. These three major components will undergo initial validation testing in the nearest future. Next year, they are supposed to be integrated into a prototype developed by Gamesa Electric in collaboration with Heights. Final tests will be conducted at Gamesa’s Spanish facility.

The innovation will allow developing a new high-capacity, energy-dense, eco-friendly and durable flow battery. The development is expected to show that organic batts are a promising climate-safe option to replace redox batts based on vanadium, listed as a CRM by EC. 

The innovative batt will reduce environmental impact, as it is deprived of any toxic materials. Moreover, such storage devices will be much cheaper, since the pricing will depend on scaling rather than a commodity market.

In forty months from the project start in December 2019, the developers expect to decrease LCOS to less than 0.10 euros per kilowatt hour per cycle. In a ten-year’s period, the cost is estimated to drop to 0.5 euros, which is in line with the Europe’s SET plan.