storage developments for wind power - article

silverharp

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http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=11afe88f-f605-448b-ab7d-91af8a3fc6e4

"VANCOUVER - Inside an unremarkable office building on the outskirts of Vancouver, a small team of engineers and marketers is building a technology that will tame the wind.

It is a high-tech battery that looks like a pair of hot-water tanks linked by a twisting network of plastic piping. Each tank is filled with vanadium, an element named after a Norse fertility goddess that could give birth to new possibilities in alternative energy by making wind turbines nearly as reliable as coal-fired electric plants.

First designed by NASA and developed by Vancouver-based VRB Power Systems Inc., the vanadium battery took a major step toward commercial success yesterday after the Irish government released a study showing it could substantially boost profitability at wind farms when the Emerald Isle is looking to inject some of its famous green into its power supply.

"It's definitely going to give us a lot of credibility," said Simon Clarke, VRB executive vice-president. "There's never been a fully commercial, large-scale storage project with wind, and this study gives us a blueprint for our technology, which we can use in Ireland, Europe and worldwide."

The study, sponsored by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), showed that a small island wind farm could see a 17.5% rate of return by using the VRB batteries, a huge growth over the 10% returns at most Irish installations.

The high-efficiency batteries work by storing excess electricity when it's not needed, then instantly releasing it back to the grid when the winds calm down.

"Today in Ireland the biggest barrier to deploying wind energy is not finances or planning, it's ? these concerns about the controllability of wind," said Graham Brennan, a renewable energy program manager with SEI. "This technology gives us an ability to capture the wind power and deliver it at peak times of the day."

The study crunches the numbers on how the VRB system could be used at the Sorne Hill wind farm, a 32-megawatt operation to be installed near the northern tip of Ireland. It calculates battery storage will allow Sorne Hill to forecast its output for a 24-hour period with 98% reliability -- a key selling feature for electrical markets. Those figures are convincing enough that Tapbury Management Ltd., the company that plans to build Sorne Hill and had contracted to buy US$6.3-million of VRB batteries, has now raised its contract -- which could be finalized in as little as four weeks -- to US$9.4-million."

BendiBus

Here's a link to the SEI report

http://www.sei.ie/index.asp?locID=99&docID=932

Nothing has actually happened yet as far as I know.

dhaslam

One of the problems which will arise with existing wind farms is that cables have been sized to carry the maximum output of the generators. If storage is used to boost output at peak times the cables will not be able to carry the extra load. Of course this can be rectified at a cost. The benefit for the wind farms will be higher average payment for output and this should help new investment. This country could become completely self sufficient in energy using wind generation alone provided enough storage capacity can be provided.

piraka

BendiBus wrote: »

Here's a link to the SEI report

http://www.sei.ie/index.asp?locID=99&docID=932

Nothing has actually happened yet as far as I know.

Allegedly Tapbury wants to increase the price of electricty if they are to use the VRB technology and SEI are none to happy about it.

zod

only reading about this now .. really does have huge implications for energy generation in Ireland.

"This study demonstrates the economic viability of our systems for wind farms such as Sorne Hill," stated Tim Hennessy, CEO of VRB Power Systems. "This is largely due to our ability to enable wind powered generation to match many of the characteristics of conventional 'base load and peaking plant', thereby allowing wind power to be dispatched in a similar way to conventional generation."

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=47956

These are the advantages of the flow battery ( according to VRB )

Ease of Maintenance and Low Cost Operations

• Low operating temperatures and less sensitivity to ambient temperature variations
• Designed for unattended, remote operation with very low maintenance costs
• SCADA interface is internet enabled. Modbus interfaces are available for interconnection to auxiliary systems
• Advanced multi-quadrant power flow control allowing phase control of outputs, voltage sag/dip compensation, low harmonic distortion, reactive power flow compensation (PFC), high short term and instantaneous overload capacity – ideal for stability enhancement.

Exceptional Performance

• Availability in excess of 98%
• The VRB-ESS can be discharged and charged greater than 10,000 times without significantly affecting system efficiencies
• Round-trip efficiencies of 65% to 75%
• Theoretical charge/discharge window of 2:1 (option of 1:1), which is ideal for wind generation applications

Simple Energy Storage

• Cross mixing of electrolytes does not lead to the contamination of electrolytes.
• Indefinite life of electrolyte (no disposal or contamination issues).
• Once charged, the electrolyte remains fully charged with low self-discharge.

Environmentally Sound

• One of the lowest ecological impacts of any energy storage technologies.
• Does not rely on environmentally harmful substances such as lead or cadmium.
• Indefinite life span and reusable.

baldieman

Does anyone know if this technology is suitable for micro or domestic storage? Would it be more or less expensive then conventional lead-acid battries?

homer911

baldieman wrote: »

Does anyone know if this technology is suitable for micro or domestic storage? Would it be more or less expensive then conventional lead-acid battries?

Did you read page 2 of the article? The smallest/cheapest unit proposed is 5kw/$35k

towel401

homer911 wrote: »

Did you read page 2 of the article? The smallest/cheapest unit proposed is 5kw/$35k

holy **** thats way more expensive than lithium ion.

flywheels are probably better. and very easy to recycle when they give up the ghost

BendiBus

towel401 wrote: »

holy **** thats way more expensive than lithium ion.

What's the lifespan of a Li Ion? The VRB claims to last indefinitely. Cost/kWh gets very low as you approach infinity

BendiBus

Receiver called in to VRB Power

VRB Power Applies to Appoint Interim Receiver and Makes Filing under Insolvency Legislation Richmond, B.C. (November 20, 2008)

VRB Power Systems Inc. (TSX-V: VRB) announces that it has applied to the British Columbia Supreme Court for an order appointing Abakhan & Associates Inc. as Interim Receiver over the assets and property of the Company. The Company has also filed a Notice of Intention to make a proposal for its reorganization under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada). In light of the foregoing, the directors of the Company have indicated their intention to resign. Appointment of the Interim Receiver is expected to occur on November 21, 2008.

www.vrbpower.com

pauln

I think that pumped water storage is a better option that should be exploited more then it currently is.

Carlow52

pauln wrote: »

I think that pumped water storage is a better option that should be exploited more then it currently is.

if u have the natural terrain: not much chance in the Netherlands