Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.
I was looking at that last area recently, and it's surely a worry. It's not just battery failure, it could be devastating for the surroundings, and possibly dangerous/life-threatening to people. Plus battery fires are not easy to extinguish.
I wonder what the insurance would be for such an installation?
It seems that money talks in this area, so extra expenses like that must come into the equation.
I see that there are some insurance specialists now entering this arena.
Yes, I guess that is true...
Though I'm sure that some users of the technology will at least see the possible cost-savings of using a safer product, particularly if they take a longer-term view. (Is insurance an issue here?)
All-in-all, it looks like some of the major advantages of Vanadium flow batteries come more to the fore when one takes a more hollistic/longer-term approach.
Further:
It says something that this major UK Government 2020 report on safety hazzard in BESS installations does not even mention Vanadium Flow Batteries.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/923611/domestic-battery-energy-storage-systems.pdf
It seems puzzling....you'd think the clear safety advantage would be highlighted.
Are these batteries really so obscure?
Maybe it's to do with vested interests/lobbying.....who knows.
I've started reading about batteries and safety...and realised that that aspect of BESS installations is surely going to come far more to the front. After all, surely the relative safety of Vanadium Flow solutions is quite clear - and yet it seems as though that advantage is not particularly considered when reading info on installations. Battery fires look really nasty...and it seems that there has not been much dilligence in this area compared to its tremendous growth.
I am thinking that there will be increasing concern about this, and that should surely be good for the future of vanadium flow batteries.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/batteries-storage/dispute-erupts-over-what-sparked-an-explosive-liion-energy-storage-accident
https://www.energy-storage.news/news/fire-at-20mw-uk-battery-storage-plant-in-liverpool
https://nobel-fire-systems.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/BESS-Final-V1.pdf
I wonder whether there is potential for VRFB in EV fast-charge?
I was struck by Fortune highlighting the cost savings of utilising brownfield sites in South Africa.
In the UK (and elsewhere) there are numerous decommisioned petrol stations that for example have ready storage tanks that can be modified to hold electrolytes.
Could these sites similarly lead to cost-savings in rolling-out fast-charging stations?
I have only started looking at this area, and please excuse me if this subject has already been looked at and maybe dimissed.
It's very sad that so many people seem to equate 'idiots' with people who do menial jobs.
Is it really the case that you have never met any 'salt of the earth' types who have menial jobs, or conversely people of financial means who are not in that position because of possession of an iota of merit?
It's all new though isn't it?(relatively). Its true that eg mobile phones have a multitude of battery-types. But note that nearly everyone charges from the same type of usb charger these days....that is a huge change from what used to be.
The game-changers in battery utilisation aren't with us yet.....
Fast charging seems to be what grabs the headlines these days...but it seems to go against the 'green' initiative if more batteries end up as landfill through being spent earlier. I reckon battery-swapping might be a more eco-friendly approach.
Loudspeaker, as well as the iron ore, I have noticed other minerals etc mentioned, including Titanium Dioxide.
Since there is a lot in the news re fast charging of batteries, with 'range anxiety' the latest buzz-phrase, and there is evidence of development of Titanium Dioxide nanotubes in this area....do you think this is something to look at, or is it marginal? (It caught my eye because of the price per ton of Titanium Dioxide is around £2000/ton.)
I just bought more....took a load of retries to get the deal done. Have watched how this has behaved, chart-wise of late, and I believe we are temporarily dipping below that recent resitance in a way that often happens with these 'wedge' formations.
And if I am wrong...I won't mind...have totally bought into the future of Bushveld.
Sorry if it has been mentioned, but has the trajectory of Largo Resources (Canada) been noted here? Only that it has superficially similar aspects (Vanadium miner/flow battery division), and has recently launched its 'Largo Clean Energy' offshoot, specialising in VRFB, with a view to increasing shareholder value (amongst other things).
Perhaps it's my fault for using the 'Green energy' phrase. 'Renewable energy' sector may be better....
After all, it's probably good to try and not over-use such terms as 'green' or 'eco-friendly' as they seem to polarise people politically, which only serves to hold-back the discussion/advancement of the technologies.
There is a growing interest in for example investing in ESS, and by extension that may involve looking at a company like Bushveld Energy. This a a Global move - possibly something with staggering opportunities. And unlike a couple of decades ago...it's now 'on the cards'.....
You may be right about Lemur. However, if you look at the underlying portfolios of the green energyy funds, you can see that some holdings have interests that appear to be contrary to the philosophy....so perhaps it is more of a case that a particular fund will look for say 'most boxes being ticked'. It must be the case that some sector funds are purer than others.
(An example: Fidelity's FSLEX fund holds Cummins, which surely supplies diesel engines! Of course this is not a feature of their 'green' energy blurb page!) Plus...things can change. For example, I have held Ceres for years, and was surprised to see it recently as No 1 holding in Law Debenture Corp fund.
If you look at older versions of the shareholder list, you can see that most of the names are the same (presumably brokers' nominee accounts of small private investors). The 'Green energy' sector is burgeoning, with new IPOs of funds emerging. I feel sure that managers of these new funds will be looking at Bushveld, particularly as it is being discussed more as a company that has a voice in this sector, and I look forward to some new names appearing on that shareholder list.