Member Info for pb940

Just had a response from Chika which says;

'The person that posted the information made a location error'

Fair enough, seems amazing that they managed to make a location error that happened to be one of the other sites considered for an electrolyte plant but I'll take Chika at her word and to be honest appreciate that they've engaged with me as it's not always possible to communicate so easily with Bushveld.

I've asked that she gets them to update the project on the L2B website to prevent further confusion.

The largest vanadium redox flow battery, with a capacity of 2 MW and 20 MW/h energy storage capacity, was completed in September 2019 in Baden-Württemberg, in Germany.

The largest battery in the world, still under development, will also be a vanadium redox flow battery, with a capacity of 200 MW and an energy storage capacity of 800 MW/h, in north-east China.

The largest future application area for vanadium redox batteries is decentralised energy storage and smart grid systems requiring a large number of short- and medium-term energy storage devices that can absorb surplus energy and later, when there is no wind or sun, release it back into the grid, according to Swiss Resource Capital.

“Vanadium redox batteries can clearly provide a remedy here by temporarily storing the over-generated energy and releasing it back into the grid only when needed.”

The company notes that many manufacturers are trying out efficient vanadium redox batteries, which are to be used primarily on a decentralised basis, such as directly in households that use a photovoltaic system on their roof or near wind farms.

The 2020s will thus be a landmark decade for battery development, renewable energy integration with storage systems and a decade in which EVs and hybrids gain significant traction in the market.

I cut out the EV bit from the article as not really relevant

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/battery-metals-to-boom-despite-widespread-covid-19-disruption-2020-09-11-1

Battery metals, which are used in modern energy efficient electrical products, are playing an increasingly important role in climate change mitigation and the shift towards a lower carbon-intensive future.

Battery metals, including lithium, vanadium, copper, cobalt, nickel, lead and graphite, are increasingly used in larger-scale battery storage products and in components used to transmit and distribute electricity.

Two key factors in the green energy transition are technology development and the roll-out of renewable-energy solutions, energy storage devices and electric vehicles (EVs), with solar- and wind-derived electricity generation the frontrunners in terms of green energy production.

Large Batteries

Swiss Resource Capital highlights that decentralised storage facilities will dominate the market in the future, with a keen eye on vanadium redox batteries.

According to its report, this type of battery is better suited to use in the renewable-energy sector, as opposed to the use of lithium, cobalt and nickel in lithium-ion batteries or accumulators in smaller applications such as automotive or personal electronic products.

The “virtually explosive” expansion of energy generation from wind farms and solar photovoltaic has, however, presented a significant challenge for power grids, as renewable-energy sources often produce extreme fluctuations in power generation, depending on the availability of sun and wind.

Swiss Resource Capital says this results in an oversupply of electricity in the short term, with up to 20% of the yearly wind power yield being lost as a result of turbines having to be shut down at short notice, owing to grid overload.

This can be remedied by storage facilities that initially absorb the surplus energy and later release it back into the grid when needed.

Swiss Resource Capital posits that the vanadium redox accumulator, in particular, plays a decisive role in this regard, as it has a higher operational reliability than the lithium-ion battery.

The vanadium redox accumulator is a so-called flux accumulator, which uses vanadium compounds in aqueous solutions in both electrolytes. Vanadium redox flow cells offer a very high degree of operational safety, compared with other storage systems, as the electrolyte is neither flammable nor explosive, owing to its high water content.

The commercial batteries currently available are used exclusively for stationary applications, such as regenerative energy sources to cover peak loads and load balancing, as well as for uninterruptible power supplies.

By the end of 2019, Swiss Resource Capital reports that more than 80 large vanadium redox flow batteries were in operation worldwide.

I don’t see you as deramping at all madasahat. I find it strange myself which is why, seeing as how Chika responded to my initial email and I had her attention I thought I would ask about the electrolyte plant at Brits project showing up.

I feel responsible for posting the link yesterday if it turns out to be false, but I’ve used that website before for updates on tenders so don’t see it as an illegitimate link. And everything I do post I like to think is from a decent source. From a personal point of view I wouldn’t want people to think I had ramped (the opposite of what you think your doing ironically) which is why if Chika confirms the other way I’ll let the BB know. People trusting me to be honest is more important to me than whether the news is good or, as in this case, potentially not even news :)

Managed to get a response from Chika Edeh for a question I had regarding any effect with respect to BMN due to the Enerox and AVL memorandum of understanding. I thought I’d take the opportunity to ask about the second electrolyte plant but in the email exchange at the moment Chika is only referring to the one at East London. She doesn’t seem to know about the Brits one, I’ve included a link to the tender and included the description so she can see what I’m referring to.

I’ll let you know if she confirms either way if it’s a mistake or legit. I do wonder whether the project may have been uploaded too early and we shouldn’t be aware but it seems too specific to be a mistake or replication of the East London electrolyte plant, at least in my eyes anyway.

513MW to be generated from storage

BP taking it's first step into renewable energy, worth $1.1 billion, nothing regarding batteries but baby steps eh :)

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/10/bp-takes-11bn-stake-in-offshore-wind-farms-as-it-agrees-equinor-deal

Do you reckon they are far away from actually being used in real world situations Alfa? Years or decades?

is it this one pat48?

https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/new-anode-material-could-lead-to-safer-fast-charging-batteries?utm_source=miragenews&utm_medium=miragenews&utm_campaign=news

I suppose the big take aways from this new project is that there is obviously going to be a need for more electrolyte and that with two electrolyte plants it will give them continuation of service if anything happens at one or the other.

I think your correct Introv.

If you look at the page 7 of the .pdf you can download from the link it looks like thats for the solar pv/battery

https://www.golder.com/download/931/bushveld-vametco-holdings-pty-ltd-basic-assessment-for-solar-pv-park-brits/75063/18113653_bushveld_vametco_solar_pv_draft_bar.pdf

Geez pdub, your gonna start me crying man. Best wishes to you both and I hope you have a wonderful day :)

This is from the RNS released on the 16th August 2017 before that article so I think initially it was an option but then moved to East London.

https://www.investegate.co.uk/bushveld-minerals-ld/rns/bushveld-energy-operational-update/201708160700030914O/

Bushveld Energy and the IDC are also progressing the techno economic study on a vanadium electrolyte production plant to be located in South Africa. The study results highlighted that:

- Bushveld can manufacture electrolyte at a cost-competitive basis, thereby allowing it to compete both regionally and globally;

- A scalable plant can be configured with an initial annual production capacity of 200-400MWh;

- The estimated initial capital expenditure for the plant of ZAR130 million (US9.7 million), of which more than 75% comprises balance of plant;

- There is scope to reduce the capital expenditure further through co-locating the electrolyte plant with Vametco Alloys (Proprietary) Limited, the primary vanadium producing mine and plant in Brits, Northwest Province, South Africa;

- By far the main driver of costs (upwards of 70%) is the vanadium feedstock, making locally available, low-cost supply a critical success factor and natural competitive advantage for South Africa;

Sorry daitom. I meant that the only one that previously had a project on the l2b website was the East London facility so we knew it was in progress. Although talked about the project being listed shows that it's now happening now.

They are currently building one at East London but the project I posted this morning says this other one is being built at Brits

It does appear that there will be a requirement for a lot more electrolyte going forward, why else would they build another electrolyte plant :)

That does look like a good candidate for it JMC69

I wonder if that explains some unusual new developments at Vametco
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Hi Alfa, are those developments the one's you can see through the satellite imagery website you are able to look at?

I wonder if they are using the same company to build it as the East London facility as it's already awarded.

I don't know Alfa but it's been added today. In Brits?