World's Largest Lithium-Vanadium Hybrid Project Deployed in London

The world's largest lithium-vanadium hybrid storage project will be deployed in London, creating the world's largest hybrid energy storage project for lithium-ion batteries and flow batteries, it is also the largest flow battery energy storage system deployed in the United Kingdom.

According to foreign media reports, energy developer Pivot Power has signed an agreement with flow battery manufacturer and integrator redT to manufacture the 2MW / 5MWh of vanadium redox flow batteries as part of the Energy Superhub Oxford project. RedT has established a partnership with vanadium producer Bushveld Minerals to support the project.

Pivot Power said the flow battery energy storage system will be hybridized alongside the lithium-ion battery energy storage system provided by the Wärtsilä Group. The company signed a contract with Wärtsilä Group in February this year to purchase two 50 MW lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, one of which forms part of the Energy Superhub Oxford project and the other is to be located at a separate site in Kent, south of London.

The Energy Superhub Oxford project is to demonstrate the application of energy storage systems in electric vehicle (EV) charging, hybrid battery energy storage systems, low carbon heating, and smart energy management. The 41 million pounds energy storage project will be launched within three years and is part-funded by the British government's Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

RedT said that this will create the world's largest example of a lithium-vanadium hybrid storage project and the largest example of flow batteries in London, UK.

RedT's executive chairman Neil OBrien said that he was pleased to be able to move to the manufacturing stage of what he described as a "landmark" project for the company. "I am proud that flow battery technology will play a key part in such an important project as the Energy Superhub Oxford," he said.

The vanadium electrolyte for this flow battery energy storage system is to come from vanadium producer Bushveld Minerals as part of a partnership between RedT and Bushveld. Bushveld will adopt a special structure to house the vanadium electrolyte, and then provide the vanadium electrolyte material to redT on a project-by-project basis.

Bushveld has made a preliminary commitment under this agreement to provide a vanadium electrolyte for this flow battery energy storage system, with further details and developments to be announced in due course.

For the setting of the lithium-vanadium hybrid storage project in London, RedT has a pre-existing relationship with Bushveld through its merger with Avalon, which was first announced in July 2019, and is set to complete by the end of this month. Avalon previously provided a £ 2.9 million loan to Bushveld and provided similar financing to redT.

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