Storage is booming in the US - driven by climate goals, rise of EVs & solar roofs, and overaged grids...

This is my slightly late recap from Energy Storage North America in San Diego from 5th to 7th of November 2019. I was very busy in the last weeks, but now I’m taking some time to write down the findings from ESNA 2019. It was a very good trip together with the German delegation of BVES who organized our program. Thank you for that.

 Warming Up and Getting Ready

We started on Monday with a detailed market briefing on the Californian Energy storage market. The German delegates had the opportunity to exchange their views of the future energy system with representatives from the American chamber of Commerce, the local Trade Center and the local utility San Diego Gas & Electric. The wild fires played a key role in all discussions. Interestingly, it was also pointed out, that the charging infrastructure is a big opportunity for battery solutions in the US as well. The evening was closed with a come-together of all three German delegations in a nice American bar.

 ESNA Expo & Conference and Beach Party

The expo floor was small and cosy. I was expecting a much bigger exhibition. Not even some local players such as Tesla or GE presented themselves with a stand. The general interest in organic flow batteries was pretty high. Several utilities were represented, and a considerable number of consultants were around. The frequency and intensity of the conversations was really good. I had many good conversations that helped me to better understand the requirements for a market entry as well the burdens in the US. Additionally, funds for new technologies and project ideas are available. As always, the devil’s in the detail, I guess. But the first reaction was always very positive.

 Site Visit Tour to SDG&E VRFB

On Tuesday morning I had the chance to visit SDG&E’s pilot of a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery with 2 MW and 8 MWh. The Japanese company NEDO (public R&D organization) sponsored this project so that SDG&E could gain experience with a larger flow battery over the last three years. Overall feedback for this flow technology was extremely positive, even though the most interesting facts such as efficiency, overall costs and maintenance costs, were not revealed. Sumitomo did a good job here. They also promoted their new advanced redox flow battery with a modular, containerized solution, which means that the tanks are also in containers and the stack container is across on top. Their marketing materials are promising a new electrolyte for 2021, most likely it will also be metal based, but they kept it a secret.

Is it the end of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries?

Positive news was really rare for the Flow community in 2019, only the Softbank deal with ESS stood out. My personal feeling after ESNA is that Vanadium RFB are phase-out models due to electrolyte shortages, price and capacity instabilities. It seems that the further use of vanadium electrolyte comes to an end and manufacturers are seeking for new inorganic and also organic molecules as an alternative. The opportunities with organic molecules were neglected in the past centuries and with @CMBlu_AG a new player with high ambitions came into the market. It was good to see at ESNA that Lockheed Martin also thinks in a large dimension of +10 MW with +100 MWh for their storage systems. Here, the flow battery can leverage its potential to integrate renewables and retrofit existing infrastructure of conventional power plants.