An Oregon-based energy storage firm, ESS Inc., has been commissioned to deliver a new form of battery for a project in Spain. The order comprises 17 of ESS' long-duration warehouse iron flow battery systems for a hybrid project in Spain.
This order contracts ESS to supply the energy storage system to support a solar farm currently under construction. ESS' innovative system will have a combined capacity of 8 MWh to provide resilience for the local power grid.
“We are 100% committed to energy storage as an essential complement to our expanding portfolio of renewable energy projects,” Pasquale Salza, Head of Long-Duration Storage and Hybrid Systems for Enel Green Power, said. “With this project, we’re going to assess and validate the ESS flow batteries, which we selected due to their right combination of long-duration capacity, long-life performance, environmental sustainability, and safe operation.”
The contract will be delivered in collaboration with the global systems firm Loccioni and engineering firm Enertis.
According to ESS, their iron battery utilizes iron, salt, and water for the electrolyte to store energy for future use. Liquid electrolytes are circulated to charge and discharge electrons via a process called redox reduction.
The word “redox” is a contraction of the words “reduction,” which represents a gain of electrons, and “oxidation,” or a loss of electrons.
According to ESS, their system "uses the same electrolyte on both the negative and positive sides of the equation, eliminating cross-contamination and degradation. This is why ESS chemistry remains stable for an unlimited number of deep-cycle charge and discharge cycles."
To read more, click here.