China: 'World's largest' iron-chromium flow battery set for commercial use

"New energy storage is an important foundation for building a new power system in China."

According to Jianwei, new energy storage provides quick reaction, flexible configuration, and "short construction periods." 

6,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity for six hours

Thanks to the chemical characteristics of the iron and chromium ions in the electrolyte, the battery can store 6,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity for six hours.

A company statement says that iron-chromium flow batteries can be recharged using renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy and discharged during high energy demand. 

Although pumped-hydro storage is the most widely used technology right now, it cannot fully satisfy China's expanding demand for energy storage, noted the China Daily report. 

"The power generation of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, can be intermittent due to natural variations, and that's where the opportunities stand for new energy storage," said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.

"Developing new energy storage technology, one of the measures China has taken to empower its green transition, will not only avoid clean energy waste but also facilitate power demand at peak hours at the same time."

Carbon-neutral China by 2060?

In recent years, the National Development and Reform Commission in China introduced several measures to encourage the creation of novel forms of energy storage.

According to Liu Yafang, a National Energy Administration (NEA) representative, new energy storage can supplement pumped-hydro storage and address the concerns of high volatility and unpredictability brought on by incorporating new energy sources into the power system.

The NEA reports that, with an average power storage duration of 2.1 hours last year, the total installed capacity of new energy storage projects reached 8.7 million kilowatts, an increase of more than 110 percent from the end of 2021.

February saw the initial testing of the iron-chromium flow battery energy storage demonstration project, according to a state-affiliated CGTN media report. 

Meanwhile, China now has the biggest installed capacity for hydro, solar, and wind power. 

In 2019, renewable sources generated 26 percent of China's electricity generation, compared to 17 percent in the US, with most of the remaining energy coming from coal power plants. 

Early in 2020, 26 percent of China's total power generation and roughly 40 percent of its installed electric power capacity were derived from renewable sources. It increased to 29.4 percent of total power generation by 2021. 

Renewables are predicted o account for 36 percent of total power generation by 2025, in line with China's promise to attain carbon neutrality by 2060 and peak emissions by 2030.