VANABAT

Optimisation of vanadium flow batteries for power production systems in hot climates.

European Union supports E22 Storage Projects
CDTI supports E22 Storage projects

VANABAT

DATES: 22 June 2019 – 22 June 2022

Total project budget: 278.444€
 

Funding Entity: Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Project objective: The general objective of the VANABAT project includes the development, installation and evaluation of a 50 kW vanadium flow battery prototype with new materials, as well as its installation and integration into the energy grid of a building equipped with a photovoltaic array.

E22 Vanadium battery for hot climates

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Employment of new optimized stack materials, as well as the development of new electrolytes. Although some demonstrators have already been installed, none of them are located in places that reach temperatures as high as Morocco, where the temperature can reach up to 45ºC in summer. This is a critical factor as the current technology is limited to an operating temperature of 35ºC, thus requiring extensive cooling to avoid electrolyte precipitation.

Development of a control algorithm that regulates electrolyte flow as a function of state of charge (SOC) and temperature to increase system efficiency since, at higher temperatures and at certain states of charge, the viscosity of the electrolyte decreases, thus requiring less pumping power.

The flow control algorithm will be implemented in an Energy Management System (EMS), which will also manage and predict the energy produced from the PV array and the energy consumed by its users. The EMS will balance the energy to be stored and withdrawn from the main grid at all times, according to the tariff regime of the period.

Installation and integration of the flow battery prototype into the power grid of a building equipped with a photovoltaic array at UEMF (Morocco).

E22 Vanadium battery

Place of execution: the project is presented within the line of international technological cooperation between Spain and Morocco. In addition to the Spanish company, two Moroccan entities participate in the consortium, the regional academic platform Euromed University of Fez (UEMF) and the private company Jet Energy, specialized in photovoltaic installations.