March 28, 2017
News Release

Flow Battery Based on PNNL Chemistry Commissioned

PNNL News & Media Relations
20170327154130143

Snohomish PUD's vanadium flow battery system is housed in 20 shipping containers at a substation in Everett, Wash. The battery, manufactured by UniEnergy Technologies, uses electrolyte chemistry developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
 

Courtesy of Snohomish PUD

Officials are celebrating the installation of the world's largest containerized vanadium flow battery storage system by capacity, which uses electrolyte chemistry developed at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, PNNL's Jud Virden and others are gathering today at the headquarters of UniEnergy Technologies, also known as UET, whose advanced vanadium flow battery was recently installed at a Snohomish PUD substation near Everett, Wash. The 2 megawatt/8 megawatt-hour battery was installed for one of five different energy storage projects awarded matching grants in 2014 through the state's Clean Energy Fund.

PNNL is providing analytical and technical support for all the projects. PNNL developed use cases, or detailed descriptions of the many ways energy storage can increase renewable energy use and improve the efficiency and resiliency of the power grid. PNNL is also testing the performance of the battery systems and evaluating the economic impacts of the various services provided by them. For more information about PNNL's involvement, see this 2014 news release.

Key Capabilities

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

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About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in energy resiliency and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle and supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the DOE Office of Science website. For more information on PNNL, visit PNNL's News Center. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Published: March 28, 2017

Research topics

Chemistry
Energy Storage
Energy Resiliency
Scientific Discovery