Iron Flow Batteries
Target and significantly reduce peak demand charges with iron flow batteries, one of the only environmentally safe commercial battery technologies available
Quick facts
Main Benefit
Recyclable energy storage solution
Key Features
kWh reduction
Natural gas reduction
Coincident peak shaving
Load shifting
Power generation
Waste heat recovery
Everything you need to know about iron flow batteries
How flow batteries work
Iron flow batteries use electrolytes made up of iron salts in ionized form to store electrical energy in the form of chemical energy. Storing chemical energy in a battery container offers flow batteries flexibility to shift energy flow and rate of storage, which facilitates efficient energy management. Energy flow and the battery’s rate of storage can be shifted during on and off-peak operating times depending on your organization’s needs. This gives greater levels of control with opportunites to cut energy costs through signficantly reducing peak demand charges.
Environentally friendly battery tech
Iron flow batteries are one of the few options out there for recyclable energy storage that can be disposed of safely without harming the environment. The iron used in these batteries means they are non-toxic and earth abundant, making them a great option for those interested in safe energy storage options.
A safer battery option
Zinc, vanadium, or lithium-ion batteries are significantly more toxic, flammable, can react violently with water, and can corrode when exposed to air under certain conditions. Iron flow batteries are non-flammable, non-toxic, pose no explosion risk, and are only slightly reactive to water and air in comparison to other metals. This makes them an extremely safe energy storage option.
Long lifespan makes iron flow batteries the best cost-efficient option
Iron flow batteries have a very long lifespan and are one of the most affordable options compared to other energy storage solutions like supercapacitors, regenerative fuel cells with hydrogen storage, lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries, sodium sulfur batteries, and vanadium redox batteries.
Iron batteries last at least 15 years and can cost anywhere from 250-400 $/kWh, depending on the application and required battery sizing. Lead-acid batteries are one of the few cheaper battery options, but with a typical lifespan of 3-4 years, they may end up being more costly in the long-run.
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Interested in getting iron flow batteries installed for your facilities? Consider these factors first:
- Are you charged for electric demand, and are the charges high? If you are not charged for electric demand, any form of battery storage makes less sense. Their specific purpose is to help with reducing electric demand charges.
- Do you have or want to install a solar farm and need a way to store renewable power at a larger scale? Flow batteries can be the perfect solution for utility scale applications.
- Do you have available space for the batteries? The exact size of your flow battery units will depend on the engineered size, but, generally speaking, flow batteries are larger than other commercial battery solutions like lithium ion or lithium iron. They could be stored inside but are often so large that outdoor storage may be required.
Take action to lower your utility bills
Work with EnergyLink’s team to design, build, and fund a iron flow battery system specifically engineered to deliver strong economic results.