Energy Storage Article Published in the Journal of Applied Electrochemistry

A paper I recently authored with Robert Savinell and Walter Culver was published online last week in the Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. The article is a techno-economic optimization of an energy storage solution. Check it out!

Title
Simulation and optimization of a flow battery in an area regulation application

Abstract
Flow batteries have the potential to provide ancillary grid services such as area regulation. In this paper, a hypothetical 2 MW flow battery is simulated in an area regulation application to find the optimal energy-to-power ratio that maximizes the net present value (NPV) of a 10 year project based on a range of installation costs. Financial and operational results are presented, and candidate battery chemistries are discussed. A simplified model of battery installation costs (dollars per kWh) resulted in a positive NPV for installation costs below $500/kWh. For installation costs between $300 and $500/kWh, an optimal energy-to-power ratio is 1.39. The traditional advantage of decoupling power and energy capacity may not be realized in area regulation; therefore hybrid flow batteries may be more appropriate. Zinc-bromine and iron-chromium chemistries might fit well with this application, along with lower-cost flow battery chemistries in the future.

Citation

Reference Type: Journal Article
Author: Mellentine, James
Author: Culver, Walter
Author: Savinell, Robert
Primary Title: Simulation and optimization of a flow battery in an area regulation application
Journal Name: Journal of Applied Electrochemistry
Cover Date: 2011-06-15
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Issn: 0021-891X
Subject: Chemistry and Materials Science
Start Page: 1
End Page: 8
Url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10800-011-0326-8
Doi: 10.1007/s10800-011-0326-8