POWER and RE+ Tech Supp September 2022 - 16

RENEWING THE PROMISE OF CLEAN ENERGY
ENERGY STORAGE
Zinc Batteries Power Stationary Energy
Storage
A
s solar, wind and other renewable
resources play a larger
role on the power grid, renewables'
essential partner-energy storage-must
keep pace to provide power
at peak hours when the sun doesn't
shine, and the wind doesn't blow.
Rechargeable zinc batteries offer
an ideal energy storage solution;
they can release power back to the
grid for many hours or even days at
a time. With numerous chemistries
and design innovations, zinc batteries
increasingly meet residential, commercial
and microgrid energy storage
market needs and demonstrate zinc's
capabilities and benefits in stationary
storage.
battery
One of the well-developed zinc
chemistries
is
zinc-bromine
flow, which proves ideal for both small
commercial uses and for medium to
large grid-sized applications. The energy
is stored in a zinc bromide solution,
which flows continuously past the
electrodes, where it reacts and generates
electricity. This liquid-based battery
is non-flammable, long-lasting,
fully recyclable and tolerates a wide
range of temperatures. The batteries
also are scalable for medium or largescale
projects.
Powering Bioenergy
Zinc-bromine batteries by Redflow
(Figure 1) already are being deployed
in more than 200 projects globally.
Redflow's largest installation went online
in January at fertilizer manufacturer
Anaergia's Bioenergy Plant in Rialto,
just 50 miles east of Los Angeles. The
batteries are part of a renewable energy
microgrid powering a facility that
each day coverts 1,000 tons of wastewater
biosolids and landfill-diverted,
organic waste into natural gas and
agricultural fertilizer. The microgrid is
comprised of 192 zinc-bromine flow
batteries, designed to store 2 MW of
1. Depiction of Redflow's battery unit. Courtesy: Zinc Battery Initiative
renewable energy and reduce peak
energy use. The California Energy
Commission helped fund the microgrid
project, which includes the zinc
batteries, a biogas conditioning system,
a two-megawatt biogas-fueled
cogeneration unit, and a microgrid
control system.
Like zinc-bromine batteries,
zinc-manganese dioxide batteries
can power both businesses and
homes. These batteries use the same
base chemistry found in common AA
household alkaline batteries. Both
zinc and manganese dioxide are
abundant elements, and these batteries
provide high energy density, low
self-discharge, and are an economical
installation for behind-the-meter
energy systems. The battery cells are
modular and scale from residential to
commercial to utility applications; they
also can store as much as 16 hours of
solar energy, ideal for peak load shifting,
resiliency, and power backup.
Urban Electric Power recently completed
an installation of its rechargeable
alkaline battery technology at
the San Diego Supercomputer Center
(SDSC) (Figure 2), where it replaced
20,000 pounds of legacy lead-acid
batteries with a safe, eco-friendly and
16 Supplement to POWER & RE+ 2022
cost-effective alternative, in addition
to more than doubling the available
battery backup electricity. SDSC's initial
installation consists of 5,200 individual
alkaline zinc-manganese cells
and store 1 MWh of electricity. An
additional 5,200 cells will be added
during the project's second phase this
summer.
Residential Applications
For residential installations, Urban
Electric Power has recently partnered
with Alchemy Industrial to launch Ohm
Core, a residential energy storage
system based on rechargeable alkaline
batteries that charge seamlessly
from the grid, eliminating the need
for backup generators and diesel fuel.
The batteries can provide power for
on to three days at a time and last
more than 10 years.
2. Urban Electric Power's backup power installation
at the San Diego Supercomputer
Center. Courtesy: Zinc Battery Initiative
POWER and RE+ Tech Supp September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER and RE+ Tech Supp September 2022
