Times newspaper article10 Feb 2023 11:18
What follows are quotes from an article in the Times yesterday:
"Renewables can generate cheap electricity, but a big bugbear is what happens when the wind doesn't blow and the sun is not shining.
One solution is batteries. The usual Lithium -ion battery, however, is expensive and has a limited lifespan because it corrodes.
Imagine a battery that is cheaper, safer, reliable, lasts far longer without degrading, can store energy for long periods without damage and can be made into a huge storage centre.
This is no pipe dream it already exists even though its unfamiliar.
It is called a vanadium redox flow battery and it does not degrade, charging and discharging hundreds of thousands of times with high efficiency.
Even after 20-30 years of use it can be easily recycled or refurbished, which means it could last almost indefinitely if well maintained.
With such a long life it works out much cheaper than other options in the long run.
For power grids and especially for the intermittent supply from renewables such batteries are ideal.
In fact they are being installed on the scale of megawatts in Chinawith the largest supplying 400 megawatt hours, enough for the demands of 200,000 people for a day"
Also posted on BMN bb