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Companies Launch Next-Generation Storage System

Dec. 9, 2015
New energy storage solution optimizes proven flow battery technology to deliver long run-time, 20-year operation

Vionx Energy has announced an ecosystem of companies to launch and commercialize a storage technology poised to transform how modern grids are managed and optimized. The unique relationship brings together six global companies— United Technologies Corp. (UTC), Starwood Energy Group, Siemens, 3M, Vantage Point Capital Partners and Jabil—to license, finance, manufacture and deploy the energy storage system.

The company’s technology, a vanadium flow storage system, was developed and engineered by researchers at UTC and is designed to make a long-duration, long-life grid-scale battery practical, resilient and cost efficient.

Vionx will market, sell and service the technology, which is targeted to utility scale applications in transmission and distribution, microgrid and island markets. Vionx’s storage design boasts an in-situ process that maintains full storage capacity over a 20-year period – unlike other grid storage solutions such as lithium ion or lead acid. The result is a safe, long-running, affordable and flexible grid storage solution that provides utilities with added infrastructure resiliency and defers aging asset replacement costs.

“Vionx’s energy storage system represents a significant advance in flow battery technology, and 3M is pleased to have the opportunity to draw upon our broad fuel cell, membrane and electrode assembly expertise to enable lower cost and longer life electrode assemblies for flow batteries.  We view this technology as a key enabler for improved grid resiliency and the continued deployment of sustainable, renewable generation,” said Jeffrey Hohn, 3M’s Vice President of Renewable Energy.

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