Vanadium batteries will be cost-effective

摘要

Vanadium flow batteries are an attractive commercial proposition because they are safe and environmentally friendly, use recyclable electrolytes, have a long cycle life (around 13,000 cycles) and last for more than 15 years. Their cost is not as prohibitive as believed {Nature 507,26-28; 2014). You quote my estimated cost ofUS$ 1,000 per kilowatt-hour, which is indeed high, but this applies to the worlds largest vanadium flow battery system and includes materials, manufacture, the control system, transportation, installation and maintenance. The cost of a system that is one-fifth of this size is $600 per kilowatt-hour, which is expected to drop to $400 per kilowatt-hour within the next 2-3 years.