AVESS wins grant to assess vanadium flow battery manufacturing hub

• Australia’s AVESS secured AUD 2.5 million to study Indo-Pacific vanadium flow battery manufacturing, targeting long-duration storage for renewables.

AVESS Energy has received a AUD 2.5 million grant to explore establishing vanadium flow battery (VFB) manufacturing capacity in the Indo-Pacific, aiming to shorten supply chains for long-duration storage and support the region’s rapidly growing renewables base. The study will evaluate siting, sourcing, and scaling: from electrolyte production and stack assembly to balance-of-plant and end-of-life pathways.

Why vanadium flow? Unlike lithium-ion, VFBs decouple power (stack size) from energy (electrolyte volume), making multi-hour and even multi-day configurations practical with minimal degradation from deep cycling. They also offer strong safety profiles—non-flammable electrolyte and straightforward thermal management—useful for hot climates and urban siting. The trade-off is lower round-trip efficiency and higher upfront bulk, which can be offset when projects value long lifetimes and frequent cycling.

The AVESS assessment will focus on four pillars. First, supply: securing vanadium sources (primary mining and recovery from industrial by-products) and setting up electrolyte preparation close to demand centers. Second, manufacturing: modular stack assembly lines that can scale in increments and qualify vendors for membranes, pumps, and frames. Third, logistics and policy: leveraging trade routes, workforce development, and incentives that reward long-duration assets in capacity and ancillary markets. Fourth, sustainability: electrolyte leasing models and take-back schemes to keep vanadium in circular use for decades.

Market timing looks favorable. As solar and wind penetration rises, grids need storage that can shift energy across longer windows, firm evening peaks, and ride through prolonged weather events. VFBs slot naturally into co-located solar parks, industrial microgrids, and utility substations where lifecycle cost and resilience outrank footprint.

If the study confirms feasibility, AVESS could anchor a regional manufacturing node—supporting jobs, diversifying storage options, and giving developers a bankable alternative to lithium for long-duration needs. The bigger prize: a home-grown supply chain that turns local resources into flexible capacity for the energy transition.