Transmission 03 - Flow batteries with Ed Porter (Commercial Director @ Invinity Energy Systems PLC)
Feb 15, 2022
Ed Porter, Commercial Director at Invinity Energy Systems, brings expertise in vanadium flow batteries and longer-duration storage. He explains how vanadium flow tech works and its safety and longevity advantages. They explore real-world projects, commercial readiness, grid connection constraints, and how medium- and long-duration storage can be dispatched and co-located with generation.
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Vanadium Electrolyte Enables Unlimited Cycling
- Vanadium flow batteries use vanadium dissolved in liquid that remains stable across four oxidation states, enabling an effectively infinite reusable electrolyte.
- Ed Porter explains that vanadium electrolyte does not degrade with cycling so systems can be warrantied for unlimited cycles and the vanadium can be reclaimed after 20 years.
Flow Batteries Remove Thermal Runaway Risk
- Flow batteries are non-flammable and have no risk of thermal runaway, making them intrinsically safer than lithium deployments.
- Ed Porter contrasts safety profiles and highlights Invinity's use in frequency response since 2019 to show electrochemical reliability as a benefit over lithium fire risk.
Pivot Power Site Proved Flow and Lithium Together
- Invinity delivered a 2 MW 5 MWh flow system co-located with lithium on Pivot Power's 50 MW connection as a real-world demonstration.
- That Innovate UK funded site will dispatch into balancing markets and demonstrates complementary operation with lithium at the same grid node.