You can read BALIHT’s fifth newsletter by following this link
At a time of energy crisis and the necessary shift to renewable energy as a prominent source of electrical power, organic redox flow batteries (oRFBs) are seen as a promising solution for the storage and integration of energy produced from wind turbines and solar panels. BALIHT project aims at developing a new kind of oRFB that could be suitable to work even in warm environments with higher energy efficiency.
BALIHT project started three years ago and at this stage partners are planning the last six months, which will be critical for the project. It is planned that the battery prototype is installed in Ibiza maritime station at the beginning of 2023.
After three years, it is time to look back on the results achieved thanks to the dedicated and hard work from all our partners.
Organic-based electrolyte has been developed and laboratory tests have shown that they are suitable for heavy multi-cycling at high temperatures. One of the biggest challenges of the project was to be able to produce components able to resist temperatures up to 80°C: our partners successfully managed to do so for the plastic frames and double-wall flexible tanks. Moreover, specific electrodes have been developed, as well as a new stack redesign with less components and strong and safe welding system.
The battery will also include a Modular Battery Management System and an Energy Management System specifically designed for redox flow batteries, which will allow a better management and control of the battery’s performances and a smooth charge and discharge of the battery in order to match the energy demand and production.
BALIHT battery is being assembled and ready to be installed in Ibiza early 2023, where it will go under real-conditions testing. The battery is meant to store energy coming from solar panels and to supply power to the EVs charging points of the harbour’s new terminal. Our team is currently monitoring very closely the works on the construction site, to ensure that the battery will be installed and integrated in the best way possible to ensure its smooth functioning.
The testing results will allow us to validate the lab-test results of the different components and technologies prior to their integration in the battery. The results and performance obtained will also be compared to our preliminary social and economic life-cycle assessment of the battery, to ensure that BALIHT prototype matches all environmental and social requirements.
At last, communication and dissemination of the project’s results will remain a focus in the last six months. After holding a stand at the International Flow Battery Forum Symposium in June 2021, BALIHT was present at Enlit Europe 2022, a worldwide energy summit held in Frankfurt on 29 Nov – 1 Dec 2022. Finishing with a final workshop event that will be organised at the end of the project and to which all the stakeholders will be invited, we will show videos of the demo plant running. BALIHT will keep seizing opportunities to introduce the project to a wide audience coming from Europe and beyond, so stay tuned!
We hope that this fifth newsletter will give you an insight of our project and raise your interest for redox flow batteries as a whole!
Itziar Carracedo Fernández – AIMPLAS
You can read BALIHT’s fifth newsletter by following this link.