Skip to main content

PNNL

  • About
  • News & Media
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Research
    • Scientific Discovery
      • Biology
        • Human Health
        • Integrative Omics
        • Microbiome Science
      • Chemistry
        • Catalysis
        • Chemical Physics
      • Computational Research
        • Artificial Intelligence
        • Computational Mathematics & Statistics
        • Graph and Data Analytics
        • High-Performance Computing
        • Software Engineering
        • Visual Analytics
      • Earth System Science
        • Plant Science
        • Atmospheric Science
        • Terrestrial Aquatics
        • Subsurface Science
        • Ecosystem Science
        • Coastal Science
      • Materials Science
        • Solid Phase Processing
        • Science of Interfaces
        • Precision Materials by Design
        • Materials in Extreme Environments
      • Nuclear & Particle Physics
        • Dark Matter
        • Neutrino Physics
        • Flavor Physics
        • Fusion Energy Science
      • Quantum Information Science
    • Energy Resiliency
      • Electric Grid Modernization
        • Distribution
        • Transmission
        • Grid Architecture
        • Grid Analytics
          • AGM Program
        • Grid Cybersecurity
        • Emergency Response
      • Energy Efficiency
        • Building Technologies
          • Building-Grid Integration
          • Advanced Lighting
        • Residential Buildings
          • Energy Efficient Technology Integration
          • Home Energy Score
          • Building America Solution Center
        • Commercial Buildings
        • Federal Buildings
          • Federal Performance Optimization
          • Resilience and Security
        • Building Energy Codes
        • Appliance and Equipment Standards
      • Energy Storage
        • Grid Energy Storage
        • Vehicle Energy Storage
      • Environmental Management
        • Environmental Remediation
        • Waste Processing
        • Radiation Measurement
      • Fossil Energy
        • Subsurface Energy Systems
        • Advanced Hydrocarbon Conversion
      • Nuclear Energy
        • Reactor Licensing
        • Reactor Operations
        • Fuel Cycle Research
        • Advanced Reactors
      • Renewable Energy
        • Hydropower
          • Environmental Performance of Hydropower
          • Hydropower and the Electric Grid
          • Hydropower Cybersecurity and Digitalization
          • Materials Science for Hydropower
          • Water + Hydropower Planning
        • Marine Energy
          • Environmental Monitoring for Marine Energy
          • Marine Biofouling and Corrosion
          • Marine Energy Resource Characterization
          • Testing for Marine Energy
          • The Blue Economy
        • Wind Energy
          • Distributed Wind
          • Offshore Wind
          • Uncertainty Quantification
          • Wildlife and Wind
          • Wind Data Archive and Portal
          • Wind Resource Characterization
        • Geothermal Energy
        • Solar Energy
      • Transportation
        • Vehicle Technologies
          • Emission Control
          • Energy-Efficient Mobility Systems
          • Lightweight Materials
          • Vehicle Electrification
        • Bioenergy Technologies
          • Algal Biofuels
          • Aviation Biofuels
          • Waste-to-Energy and Products
        • Hydrogen & Fuel Cells
    • National Security
      • Computing & Analytics
        • Artificial Intelligence
        • Computational Mathematics & Statistics
        • Graph and Data Analytics
        • High-Performance Computing
        • Software Engineering
        • Visual Analytics
      • Cybersecurity
        • Discovery and Insight
        • Proactive Defense
        • Trusted Systems
      • Nuclear Nonproliferation
        • Stakeholder Engagement
        • Technical Training
      • Weapons of Mass Effect
        • Explosives Detection
        • Chemical & Biological Signatures Science
        • Radiological & Nuclear Detection
    • Lab Objectives
    • Publications & Reports
    • S&T Capabilities
  • People
    • Inventors
    • Diversity
    • Lab Leadership
    • Lab Fellows
    • Staff Accomplishments
  • Partner with PNNL
    • Academia
      • Distinguished Graduate Research Programs
      • Internships
      • Visiting Faculty Program
      • Joint Appointments
      • Joint Institutes
    • Community
      • STEM Education
      • Philanthropy
      • Volunteering
      • Economic Impact
    • Industry
      • Industry Partnerships
      • Licensing & Technology Transfer
      • Entrepreneurial Leave
  • Facilities & Centers
    • All Facilities
      • Atmospheric Radiation Measurement User Facility
      • Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Lab
      • Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
      • Institute for Integrated Catalysis
      • Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory
      • Radiochemical Processing Laboratory
      • Shallow Underground Laboratory
      • Systems Engineering Building
      • Wasteform Development Laboratory
      • PNNL Seattle Research Center
      • PNNL 5G Innovation Studio

Breadcrumb

  1. Research
  2. Energy Resiliency
  3. Energy Storage
  4. Grid Energy Storage

Grid Energy
Storage

Storing energy for a
resilient, reliable power grid

An organic molecule used in dyes and antibiotics may be the key to less expensive, more efficient redox flow batteries. Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) developed a highly reversible, water soluble material based on phenazine. The compound could serve as an alternative to vanadium, which is used in grid-scale batteries to store electricity. 

Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  • Electric Grid Modernization
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Energy Storage
    • Grid Energy Storage
    • Vehicle Energy Storage
  • Environmental Management
  • Fossil Energy
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Renewable Energy
  • Transportation
  • News & Updates

Like a savings account for the electric grid, energy storage neatly balances electricity supply and demand. Renewable energy, like wind and solar, can at times exceed demand. Energy storage systems can store that excess energy until electricity production drops and the energy can be deposited back to the power grid. However, for widespread deployment of grid energy storage to occur, the research community must continue to investigate and improve ultra-low-cost materials and chemistries capable of long-term deployment.

PNNL’s grid energy storage research is managed by the DOE’s Office of Electricity’s Energy Storage Program, whose mission is to perform R&D on a wide variety of energy storage technologies. Energy storage experts at PNNL are helping to accomplish this mission by developing energy storage technologies that integrate renewable energy into the grid. This reduces barriers like higher costs and limited storage capacity and provides more cost-effective power for consumers.

Achievements in the lab

Researchers developed a compound based on a pharmaceutical material that shows promise in replacing costly vanadium, a chemical element used in grid-scale batteries. Technologies developed in house are also catching the attention of industry. For example, a mixed acid electrolyte developed by PNNL researchers succeeded in cutting in half the cost of an advanced vanadium flow battery and doubling its energy density.

PNNL accelerates grid-scale energy storage research within its tens of thousands of square feet of lab space dedicated to technology research and development. An Advanced Battery Facility serves as the canvas for developing and validating new battery chemistries. The Redox Flow Battery Labs provide space for testing redox flow batteries on the bench and for large-scale demonstrations. And the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory houses an environmental transmission electron microscope to evaluate battery structural and function materials, while a scanning transmission electron microscope and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy allow probing of the materials’ microstructure and chemical compositions.

Beyond vanadium, a wide range of low-cost materials, such as sodium, zinc, manganese, are investigated for battery applications. As the research community perfects this complex chemical combination, widespread use will help pad the nation’s electricity “bank account” towards a more resilient, reliable power grid.

Recent News

JANUARY 8, 2021
Web Feature

Battery Up: PNNL Runs the Bases with Industry, Academia to Boost Batteries

Read
Battery research setup in lab
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
Web Feature

PNNL Supports New Solar and Energy Storage Project near Richland Campus

Read
Energy Northwest Installation
JULY 16, 2020
Staff Accomplishment

PNNL Physicist to Support OSU Professor in EPSCoR Energy Research Award

Read
Murugesan and Capraz
SEE MORE RELATED NEWS

Related Capabilities

Chemical Engineering
Applied Materials Science & Engineering
Chemical & Molecular Science
SEE ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES

Facilities

Redox Flow Battery Laboratories Advanced Battery Facility Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory Grid Storage Launchpad at PNNL

PNNL

  • Get in Touch
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Doing Business
    • Environmental Reports
    • Security & Privacy
  • Research
    • Scientific Discovery
    • Energy Resiliency
    • National Security
Subscribe to PNNL News
Department of Energy Logo Battelle Logo
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is managed and operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn