Saudi-German project for storing energy and producing "vanadium" batteries

[The SC]

Saudi-German project for storing energy and producing "vanadium" batteries
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"Nassand" and "Schmid" start work in the middle of this year


The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has revealed that a company it owns has completed a joint venture deal that will manufacture and develop technologies in the production of flow batteries (Vandium) after obtaining all the required regulatory approvals.

"SABIC" said yesterday that Nassand Investment Company and its German (Schmid) group successfully completed the joint venture deal, after meeting all conditions, noting that the signing of the joint venture agreement was announced in May last year.

"SABIC" revealed that during the next two months, RIWAQ for industrial development - a Saudi company concerned with industrial investment, will join the joint venture as an investor and an additional shareholder, explaining that the joint project aims to achieve global leadership in the field of energy storage technologies, and lead this fast growing sector, including Supporting the goals of economic diversification in Vision 2030.

The project relies on the efforts of research and development facilities in Saudi Arabia and Germany, to establish a manufacturing facility for the production of power in GW, starting production in the Kingdom in 2021, where the project will be able to achieve global leadership in cost; through its strategy to develop an integrated production process within the value chain.

Eng. Fouad Mousa, CEO of Nassand Investment Company, stated that completing this step constitutes a qualitative achievement in the framework of the Kingdom's efforts to localize technologies in the field of emerging industries.

The manufacturing facility and the research and development center will be established in Dammam, the third industrial city, according to a building and leasing agreement with the Saudi Organization for Industrial Estates and Technology Zones (MODON), at a time when work on the project is expected to start in the first half of 2020, while the annual production capacity of flow batteries will be 3 GWh, and the facility will be among the largest flow battery production facilities in the world.

For his part, Christian Schmid, CEO of (Schmid) Group emphasized that the new project aims to establish a leadership position in the energy storage market that is characterized by its rapid development, and there is great eagerness from both companies to achieve their shared vision for this project.

The joint venture will produce energy storage systems that will be used in conjunction with large-scale renewable energy projects, communications towers, mining sites, remote cities, and sites outside the coverage of the energy grid.

The new systems will be used in an integrated manner with the renewable energy network, and will be used to create small power grids in remote locations, improve the capacity of diesel generators, and support backup power.


Participation in this project contributes directly to achieving the Kingdom's ambitions in the field of renewable energy, and according to the new energy sources mix announced this year, as the Kingdom aims to establish facilities to produce the equivalent of 57.5 GW of renewable energy by 2030, especially with the growing need for extensive energy storage fixed systems to ensure new renewable energy is stabilized and efficiently connected to the grid.
The Kingdom can benefit from this technology in the coming mega strategic projects.

https://m.aawsat.com/home/article/2...ماني-لتخزين-الطاقة-وإنتاج-بطاريات-«الفانديوم»

 

[The SC]

The vanadium redox flow battery – A game changer for energy storage safety

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The deployment of energy storage batteries, which are designed to store energy that can be used at a later stage, has increased over the years. Whilst there has been little conversation about the safety of these batteries, the increase in fire incidents reported at energy storage facilities, indicates that open conversations must be had about the safety of energy storage.

When a significant amount of energy is stored, adequate controls must be in place to control the energy output. In April 2019, an explosion at a 2-MW/2-MW-h solar energy-powered and grid connected battery facility located in Surprise, Arizona, seems to indicate that there is a significant lag in control and operational measures at energy storage battery facilities.

As part of Vanitec’s Energy Storage Committee (‘ESC’) strategic objectives, the ESC is committed to the development and understanding of fire-safety issues related to the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery, with emphasis on the solutions the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery can provide to the energy storage industry to mitigate fire-risk.
The Vanadium Redox Flow Battery is an energy storage flow battery invented by Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos in the 1980’s, and is suitable for large-scale energy storage, including but not limited to utility, commercial, industrial and residential applications. Some of the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery ’s key characteristics make it a leading technology in energy storage, given its broad range of factors, including having no “thermal runaway” risk when compared to other technologies. Thermal runaway, which causes a fire in a battery, is an inherent risk of solid-state batteries.

Non degradation, non-flammable, low likelihood of fire:

1. The Vanadium Redox Flow Battery stands out from other batteries due to the favourable characteristics of the vanadium electrolyte (‘electrolyte’), which is used as a solution in both tanks of the battery. The use of the same solution alleviates the possibility of cross-contamination of the electrolyte, therefore eliminating degradation.
2. Over 50% of the electrolyte solution is made up of water, which gives the electrolyte a non-flammable property. In the event of short circuiting, intense heat or high pressure, it is unlikely for the battery to catch fire.
3. Whilst some heat may be discharged from the battery, it will not be at a level that is deemed unsafe.

As is with any development, the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery has faced misconceptions around its cost. The price of vanadium electrolyte is highly dependent on vanadium market prices. However, the electrolyte can be re-used ad infinitum, and the vanadium in the electrolyte can be recovered and re-used in a myriad of other applications including as a strengthening alloy for steel. These re-use and recovery options have led to market participants to begin leasing the electrolyte to help manage cost considerations.
Currently, there are over 100 VRFB installations globally with an estimated capacity of over 209,800 kWh of energy and the use of vanadium in energy storage applications has doubled to 2.1% of the global vanadium consumption in 2018.

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https://www.smart-energy.com/indust...ery-a-game-changer-for-energy-storage-safety/

 

[Hiraa]

Saudia Arabia needs to become the hub of solar energy. They have copious amount of heat ALL year arround.

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

Excellent news.

This is a key technology related to the renewables energy push that is ongoing in KSA.

Schmid JV to begin building 3GWh Saudi Arabia flow battery factory this year

Schmid flow battery display at Intersolar Europe solar energy trade show in June 2019. Image: Andy Colthorpe / Solar Media.

Construction looks set to begin this year on a factory building flow batteries, as a joint venture (JV) formed by German tech company Schmid Group and Saudi Arabian investment company Nusaned closed the transaction to seal its partnership.

The JV's formation was announced this time last year and Schmid emailed Energy-Storage.news yesterday with news that the transaction has received regulatory approvals and satisfied its closing conditions. Schmid and its partner Nusaned - which is owned by SABIC, a chemical manufacturing subsidiary of Saudi Aramco - will focus on developing vanadium redox flow battery technology as well as manufacturing. Another Saudi Arabia-headquartered company, investor and project developer RIWAQ Industrial Development Company, intends to join the JV in the “next two to three months,” Schmid said.

The JV company will operate under the brand name EVERFLOW. A site has been identified for the manufacturing facility, which will have an R&D centre alongside it, in Saudi Arabia’s Damman 3rd Industrial City. With construction expected to begin within the first half of this year, Schmid said the facility will have an annual production capacity of 3GWh.

While the release said the JV partners want to be a “global leader and champion” in the energy storage market, it is expected to also “directly contribute to the Kingdom’s renewable ambitions,” with Saudi Arabia targeting the installation of 57.5GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and energy storage will be used to help connect and integrate that capacity to the national grid.


While announcements of planned lithium-ion factories and gigafactories around the world have been plentiful in the past few months, there have been fewer such reports on redox flow, although KORID Energy, a South Korean developer of vanadium flow batteries signed a JV with Canada-headquartered Margaret Lake Diamonds to further the development of a 200MWh factory at an as-yet undecided location in North America, with New York looking a possible choice, due to the KORID-Margaret Lake Diamonds consortium hosting an event with former New York Governor George Pataki in attendance in the state in January this year.

At yesterday’s opening session of Solar Media’s online Digital Series Energy Storage conference, the merits of vanadium redox flow batteries were among the topics discussed by panellists including Jim Stover, a representative of flow battery company VRB Energy. Stover said that the durability and long expected lifetime of flow batteries are among its key advantages, but unlike lithium-ion has yet to benefit from manufacturing scale in terms of bringing costs down.

https://www.energy-storage.news/new...wh-saudi-arabia-flow-battery-factory-this-yea

Deal concludes for Saudi Arabian GW-scale vanadium redox battery facility
May 12, 2020


Image credit: Stock

German technology company Schmid Group and Saudi Arabian firm Nusaned Investment have completed the transaction for their planned joint venture (JV) to develop a GW-scale battery facility.

The JV will see the partners produce Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB) through the jointly-formed Advance Energy Storage System Investment Company.

Nusaned Investment is a subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) which is a subsidiary Saudi Aramco.

The partners have announced that annual production capacity will top 3 GWh at its facility in Dammam 3rd Industrial City. Construction is expected to commence within the next few months, with completion expected by 2021.

Products will be offered under the Everflow brand, primarily for use in renewables capacity grid integration, minigrids, and the optimisation of existing power back-up systems.

The two lead partners are joined by Riwaq Industrial Development Company as additional investors and shareholders.

“The JV marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia in its quest to localize manufacturing for technologies in emerging industries, and marks another major step in SABIC’s NUSANED™ program that seeks to build partnerships and enable local content creation,” said Nusaned Investment CEO Fuad Mosa.

Saudi Arabia has targeted a total 57.5 GW of renewables capacity to be installed in the emirates by 2030 as the region transitions from its reliance on oil.

https://www.smart-energy.com/indust...ian-gw-scale-vanadium-redox-battery-facility/