UK Flow Battery To Be Tested In US

The article discusses the growing interest and support for flow battery technology in the US as part of a broader shift in federal energy policy favoring energy storage over new wind and solar installations. While lithium-ion batteries have dominated energy storage for renewables, flow batteries—using two chemically tuned liquids—offer a promising alternative for long-duration, scalable, and economical energy storage. Despite the technology’s long history dating back to the late 19th century, practical and cost-effective large-scale deployment has been elusive until recent advances. Pumped storage remains the dominant long-duration storage method in the US, but its geographic and environmental limitations have spurred interest in alternatives like flow batteries. A key development highlighted is the US Department of Energy’s engagement with UK-based Invinity Energy Storage Systems, a vanadium flow battery innovator, to test their technology under the “Mistral” project. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is hosting one of Invinity’s batteries at its new Grid Storage Launchpad