The Age http://www.theage.com.au/
Battery a boost to renewable energy
By Rod Myer
January 17, 2005
The Victorian Government-funded Centre for Energy and Greenhouse Technologies will invest up to $1 million to help commercialise a new battery that could be used by the renewable-energy industry to smooth out intermittent energy flows.
Chief executive Jan Dekker said $200,000 had been committed to begin the development of the vanadium bromide redox flow battery developed by Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos of the University of NSW. Up to $1 million will be spent over two years on five kilowatt and 50 kilowatt prototype batteries.
The CEGT will be a half-share partner with the University of NSW, with the technology put into a joint venture company called V Fuels. If the technology is developed further, the private sector will be brought in.
Mr Dekker said the battery was significantly better than competing technologies, was 80 per cent efficient in energy storage and release and had an unlimited life. Storage ability of twice that achieved by competing technologies was being targeted, he said.
"The vanadium bromide redox battery would allow electricity generated from renewable energy sources to be stored, and injected into the transmission grid when needed. Quite simply, this means for energy sources such as solar and wind power that even if the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing, stored renewable energy can be made available to meet peak demands," Mr Dekker said.
This would remedy the big bugbear of renewable generation: its unreliability.
Applications could extend to domestic installations, transport vehicles, back-up supply for hospitals and industry and remote area power needs, he said.
Rights to an earlier type of vanadium battery the university developed went offshore in 2000 after a battle for control of a company called Pinnacle VRB. Mr Dekker said the vanadium bromide redox battery was more advanced than the earlier one and the technology would be kept in Australian hands.
CEGT was formed in 2003 to invest $14.25 million the Government committed to sustainable energy and greenhouse-gas reduction technologies.
