Date: Jun 5, 2018
Protean has pressed the ‘on’ button for its vanadium flow battery, launching the first of a series of tests of its high tech storage in Australia.
Vanadium redox flow batteries are a key focus for the energy industry because the technology can store more power and last much longer than lithium-ion batteries. That makes it highly sought-after for industrial and domestic energy storage.
Market researcher IDTechEx predicts the market will be worth $US4.5B by 2028.
The battery technology “has the potential to become a mainstream technology that will compete directly with lithium-ion and sodium-sulphur — currently the two leading chemistries in the stationary storage market”, IDTechEx says in a recent report.
On June 1, clean energy provider Protean (ASX:POW) switched on a 25kW/100kWh V-KOR vanadium redox flow battery (VFRB) at industrial fittings supplier OzLinc Industries in Perth.
It’s the first Australian trial of the technology, which is half-owned alongside Protean’s (ASX:POW) Korean affiliate KORID Energy.
The battery consists of two electrolyte tanks, two battery stacks of 12.5kW each, one 25kW inverter, electrolyte pumps and a power management system. It’ll be charged from a 21.1kW rooftop solar system.
The “plug and play” battery is modular, and can be scaled up from as small as 2kw to 20MW.
Protean has received a number of enquiries regarding its V-KOR battery and is progressing towards commercial orders
Modular technology is the flavour of the moment in many industries.
![Protean's 25kW/100kWh V-KOR vanadium redox flow battery (VFRB) in Perth](https://stockhead.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/POW001.jpg)
Governments and corporations are moving away from sinking big sums into giant, years-long builds and towards tech that can be delivered quickly and scaled up or down as needed.