Dublin-based company Renewable Energy Dynamics Technology Ltd (REDT), the developer of an energy storage system that uses flow batteries, has won EUR 4.3 million (£3.6 million ) from the UK government to build a grid-scale version of its technology.
This will see the company installing a 1.26 MWh system on the Isle of Gigha off the west coast of Scotland in early 2015, once it has been built and tested by REDT during 2014. The system, which uses vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), will allow the island to store the surplus electricity it is unable to transmit to the mainland, which is currently going to waste.
Gigha, like many of Scotland’s islands, has enormous potential for wind generation, but the harnessing of this renewable energy is being hampered by the fact that cable links to the mainland are poor and would be hugely expensive to replace. In these conditions, battery storage systems could make a significant contribution to helping Scotland reach its 2020 renewable targets.
Moreover, for REDT, which has designed smaller sized VRFB systems for off-grid applications such as telecom base stations, the Gigha project provides an opportunity to demonstrate a larger system suitable for micro-grid applications. The new VRFB grid scale technology will meet the need for efficient distributed storage, combined with the ability to respond instantly to demand, dispatching energy for six to eight hour periods when required. It is also a safe technology using non-flammable materials. The 2.5 year project aims to demonstrate a utility-scale system and to make the technology ready for full-scale commercial manufacture.
“We are proud that our dedicated team at REDT has, after more than 10 years under a focused R&D program, developed a strong technology solution for utility-scale storage ready for demonstration. This utility product, once demonstrated, will add to our portfolio of other commercial storage applications. A cost effective environmentally responsible and stable storage solution is critical for the energy sector to take a quantum step forward to fully utilise renewables. Energy storage is crucial for us to address climate change and provide clean energy for future generations,” REDT Executive Chairman Scott McGregor said.
Source : © European Union, 1995-2013 - SETIS