pwr_april-2024 - 30

ENERGY STORAGE
Battery Energy Storage Systems:
Solutions for Shorter
and Longer Durations
As renewable energy capacity increases on power grids, battery energy storage
systems become more and more important. While lead battery technology is not
new, it is evolving. Advanced lead batteries offer a very sustainable energy storage
option. Meanwhile, deployment of newer technologies such as vanadium redox flow
batteries could be game changing as long-duration energy storage solutions.
Scott Childers
B
attery energy storage systems
(BESSs) are a key component to
transitioning to clean energy capture
and usage, enhancing grid stability,
and promoting sustainability. Multiple
battery chemistries and technologies are
emerging to meet the growing demand
for short- and long-duration storage requirements.
Each chemistry brings a
unique set of challenges, from the availability
of domestically sourced battery
materials to commercial-scale manufacturing
capabilities to economically viable
financial models.
Of equal importance is the need to
ensure there is enough storage capacity
deployed to capture all renewable energy
generated from wind and solar power.
Pairing BESSs with renewables will help
avoid curtailment and balance the supply
and demand for energy throughout the
day and night.
Recent legislation has paved the way
to help resolve both the storage and supply
chain challenges. The Inflation Reduction
Act (IRA) provides stand-alone
energy storage systems tax credits (up
to 30% investment tax credit), as well as
incentives for domestic supply chain and
manufacturing capacity. As a newer offering,
energy storage systems need early
financial support to compete against
the more mature fossil fuels, and even
renewable generators, that have had decades
to work down the cost curve.
In addition to cost-competitiveness,
new storage technologies often receive
a fair amount of market skepticism since
they don't have a 30-year track record
for investors/adopters to rely upon to
establish confidence. Fortunately, the
bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and
Jobs Act (IIJA) law also set aside $505
million to work with energy innovators to
30
1. Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) include a cell stack and two electrolyte tanks, among
other equipment. VRFBs offer extended cycle life, high stability and durability, non-flammable
chemistry, modular and scalable construction, and long-duration energy storage (four hours or
more). Courtesy: Stryten Energy
accelerate the demonstration and validation
of long-duration energy storage. The
Department of Energy's Energy Storage
Grand Challenge is already soliciting
ideas and allotting funds to help bring
these long-duration solutions to life.
As these incentives continue to drive increased
storage deployments, innovators
will utilize a variety of battery chemistries
to best address each project's unique requirements.
From short- to long-duration
storage, new battery energy storage systems
are emerging. Lead is a fit for shorter
duration needs and is already available
in abundance. Vanadium is well-suited for
longer duration needs and is now being
researched and manufactured for applications
in the coming years.
Lead BESS for Short Duration Needs
Lead's availability and its longstanding
reputation as the " workhorse " of the energy
industry have also made it a prime
candidate for several BESS applications.
Lead BESSs are a good fit for grid support
and load shifting. Research completed
by the Department of Energy for the
Energy Storage Grand Challenge found
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that lead can integrate renewable energy
sources into the grid with the availability
needed for broad production, and the affordability
not offered by lithium or newer
technologies. In addition, a lead BESS
is capable of bridging brownout gaps for
up to six hours and can help power networks
recover from blackouts.
Lead also offers an unrivaled level of
recyclability, with nearly 100% of a lead
battery's components recoverable and
reusable in new batteries. Lead can be
infinitely recycled with no loss of performance.
While the U.S. is one of the leading
producers of lead in the world, most
of the lead and alloy materials necessary
for manufacturing lead batteries come
from recycling. Approximately 950,000
metric tons of lead re-enters the supply
chain from scrap, which is more than triple
the level of new lead mining. Battery
manufacturers have long perfected the
process of breaking down old lead batteries,
retrieving the lead, polypropylene
plastic, and other reusable components,
and producing new batteries from these
recycled materials.
This process results in new batteries
POWER | April 2024

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