UNSW to hold event this week marking four decades of vanadium flow batteries

This week inventor and electrochemist Emeritus Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos and her team at University of NSW Sydney are hosting an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the vanadium redox flow battery (VFB.)

Running on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tyree Energy Technologies Building, the 40th Anniversary Flow Battery Innovation Symposium will look at opportunities in Australia in the use and manufacturing of VFBs, as well as government and policy support to encourage development of the emerging energy storage technology.

According to a statement from the university, VFBs are gaining traction due to their safety, reliability, and long-duration energy storage, and their resulting appeal in grid stabilisation as more renewable energy comes online. The batteries are non-flammable, non-explosive, and highly scalable.

Australia has a quarter of the world’s vanadium reserves and has great potential as a hub for downstream processing. 

“Unlike traditional batteries, flow batteries store energy in electrolyte solutions, allowing for flexible and scalable energy storage at lower costs for long-duration applications,” said Skyllas-Kazacos in a statement on Monday.

“And Australia is ideally placed to become a major manufacturer of flow batteries, both for domestic use and for the international market.”

The event is free and more information is available here.

Picture: A VFB cell in a lab (credit UNSW)

Further reading

Maria Skyllas-Kazacos – an innovator we should all know better

Townsville vanadium battery electrolyte facility opens

The disappointment of overseas production – Lithium Australia

Redox flow giant battery a triumph and tragedy for Australia