Techno-Economic Optimization of Flow Batteries Using the Optimization Potential to Prioritize Different Optimization Possibilities for the Development of Industrial Scale Applications

Abstract

The challenges of climate change are becoming more and more relevant to society. This also increases the need for a wider use of renewable energies, which, due to their fluctuating availability, also increases the need for the possibility of intermediate storage in other forms of energy. Flow batteries (FB) have the advantage that they store electrical energy chemically in electrolytes and are scalable in terms of power and energy. To achieve a successful broad market entry of FBs, not only the technical performance but also the economic efficiency of the system is important. Known FBs must therefore be optimized techno-economically for specific applications. In this regard, not every technically possible improvement has the same positive impact on the economically relevant performance or the energy-related specific costs.Therefore, an existing techno-economic model [1] based on a 10 kW / 120 kWh Vanadium FB (VFB) was further developed and a standardized laboratory scale FB was defined for further research which only differs in the used electrolyte. Based on extensive validation measurements using standardized test cycles, VFBs and organic FBs (MV/TEMPOL and AQDS/BQDS) in different molarities were analyzed and compared with this model.The component-wise sensitivity analyses of that model show battery-specific optimization potentials. With those techno-economically appropriate optimizations can be planned.The additionally developed stand-alone software, into which the model was transferred, can simulate various aqueous flow batteries, which offers versatile application possibilities. Additional areas relevant to the evaluation, such as infrastructure and financing costs, can also be included. Upscaling of simulated FBs to industrial application is also possible. In this talk, some results of this techno-economic approach will be presented.[1] J. Noack, L. Wietschel, N. Roznyatovskaya, K. Pinkwart, and J. Tübke, Energies, 9, 627 (2016). Figure 1