<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/eyes-of-the-energy-world-on-australian-vanadium-battery-tech/>
"A deep-storage battery being trialled in Kununurra in the Kimberley region of
Western Australia could solve the clean energy challenge for some of the
nation’s most remote communities.
As well as being a challenging environment to live or work in, hot and humid
Kununurra is not connected to the state or national electricity grid.
“A lot of our communities are remote and do struggle with the cost of living
and we don’t want them to miss out on the energy transition,” Horizon Power’s
executive general manager for business development and strategy Vi Garrood told
AAP.
“And we don’t want to compromise on safety – that’s why small-scale trials are
really important,” she said.
The vanadium flow battery won’t power cars, laptops or fit into a mobile phone,
but it can store energy for 10-12 hours and help homes and worksites to
displace diesel and gas with clean, safe and reliable power.
As the state’s regional power provider, Horizon is using the trial to learn how
to provide safe, affordable, reliable off-grid power during extreme
temperatures and major weather events.
“It’s one of the technologies we need to get us to net zero and running on 100
per cent renewables for periods of time,” Ms Garrood said.
After stress-testing the technology in Kununurra, it could be rolled out across
Horizon’s microgrids and other systems.
“Each battery design is examined on the basis of what application we need it
for – so what is the problem it’s solving,” she said.
With a 78-kilowatt capacity and 220 kilowatt hours of storage, WA Energy
Minister Reece Whitby says the vanadium battery is well suited to Kimberley
conditions, where energy storage must cope with extreme temperatures and
deliver energy over a long period of time.
“Here in Kununurra, where it was 44 degrees the other day, you need a battery
that’s tough … and these, we hope, will do the job very well,” Mr Whitby said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
