Sydney Flow Battery Australia

Enter flow batteries —a homegrown technology that could reshape Australia's energy future. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which max out at four to six hours of storage, flow batteries can store energy for up to 12 hours, making them a game-changer for balancing solar and wind power. And here's the kicker—this tech isn't imported.

Australia needs better ways of storing renewable electricity for later. That's where 'flow batteries' can help Emeritus Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos with a prototype of the vanadium flow battery now being built at grid-scale storage capacity in Australia and across the globe.

Australia's long-standing leadership in flow battery technology has reached a new milestone with the release of the battery best practice guide for flow batteries titled Flow Battery Energy Storage – Guidelines for Safe and Effective Use.

To date, most of Australia's grid-scale batteries use chemistries such as lithium-ion. But as our grid shifts to renewables, we'll need longer duration storage to eliminate the need for fossil fuel backup generators. That's a task well suited to flow batteries. Related article: Horizon Power's vanadium flow battery passes factory tests

Flow batteries are recognised globally for their long-duration energy storage capabilities, safety profile, and suitability for stationary storage applications. This guide supports Australia's ambitions to be at the forefront of energy innovation and reinforces the importance of storage technologies in accelerating the energy transition.

We can also use flow batteries. These are a lesser-known cross between a conventional battery and a fuel cell. Flow batteries can feed energy back to the grid for up to 12 hours – much longer than lithium-ion batteries which only last four to six hours.