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[Ferro-Alloys.com] Australian Vanadium participates in long-duration vanadium flow battery pilot

Australian Vanadium Ltd is playing a key part in the piloting by the Western Australia Government of a long-duration vanadium flow battery (VFB) in Kununurra in the state’s northwest.

The battery, supplied by AVL subsidiary VSUN Energy, contains vanadium electrolyte. The pilot will allow collaboration partner Horizon Power to assess whether VFB technology can be installed in microgrids and off-grid power systems. Horizon will integrate this energy storage into its network and will undertake system support testing along with VSUN over the next 12 months.

Challenging conditions

The Kununurra battery relies on VSUN’s vanadium-flow technology, has a 78KW capacity, 220kWh of storage and its energy storage is temperature-resilient and well-suited to the challenging Kimberley conditions.

In areas like the Kimberley, energy storage must be temperature-resilient and capable of delivering energy over a long period.

Western Australia’s Minister for Energy Reece Whitby MLA took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the battery site and published a Ministerial Release to acknowledge the commencement of the project.

The Minister said: "Our continued investment in battery storage means households throughout WA can continue to reap the benefits of rooftop solar. "This pilot won't just mean there is more clean, reliable and affordable power for regional WA - it means Horizon Power can better understand how batteries can support microgrids and other off-grid power systems throughout the State.

"We want to see households benefit from the energy transition.

"That's why we will continue to support rooftop solar uptake while investing in an energy mix that combines large-scale storage and onshore wind with gas as required." Kimberley MLA Divina D'Anna said: "I am excited about the pilot of the long-duration battery in Kununurra as it's a major step towards providing clean, reliable energy for regional and remote communities, tailored to withstand our unique climate.

"It is important to help secure affordable and resilient power for our communities in the Kimberley and beyond."

• [Editor:tianyawei]