Will flow battery suppliers compete with metal alloy production to secure vanadium supply?

Traditionally, much of the global vanadium supply has been used to strengthen metal alloys such as steel. Because this vanadium application is still the leading driver for its production, it’s possible that flow battery suppliers will also have to compete with metal alloy production to secure vanadium supply.

How can vanadium redox flow batteries increase their share in energy storage?

Overcoming the barriers related to high capital costs, new supply chains, and limited deployments will allow VRFBs to increase their share in the energy storage market. Guidehouse Insights has prepared this white paper, commissioned by Vanitec, to provide an overview of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) and their market drivers and barriers.

What is the Australian vanadium project?

AVL, with government support, has created the Australian Vanadium Project, which produces and processes VRFB materials in Western Australia that will then be supplied to VRFB manufacturers as either V2O5 or vanadium electrolyte. To ramp up production, VRFB industry leaders have invested in gigafactories.

Why are vanadium batteries so expensive?

Vanadium makes up a significantly higher percentage of the overall system cost compared with any single metal in other battery technologies and in addition to large fluctuations in price historically, its supply chain is less developed and can be more constrained than that of materials used in other battery technologies.

What happens if you use vanadium in a VRFB?

Its vanadium supply will then be used to produce electrolyte that can be provided to VRFB systems, essentially “erasing” the cost of vanadium from the total system cost. Because vanadium does not degrade after use in a VRFB, investors can maintain the value of their holdings.

Are all-vanadium RFB batteries safe?

As an important branch of RFBs, all-vanadium RFBs (VRFBs) have become the most commercialized and technologically mature batteries among current RFBs due to their intrinsic safety, no pollution, high energy efficiency, excellent charge and discharge performance, long cycle life, and excellent capacity-power decoupling .