University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have developed a new “flow battery” technology that stores energy in organic salts dissolved in benign water.
The research team has founded a startup company, Flux XII LLC, in Madison to commercialize their long-duration grid energy storage solution with the help of the University’s technology transfer office, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). The team hopes to scale and demo their solution with regional partners, which they believe will enable safer and more adaptable clean energy than current grid energy storage products.
This team’s story began in 2015 when Dr. Wenjie Li started researching aqueous (water-based) redox flow batteries as a chemistry Ph.D. student at UW-Madison.
“I wish my research can really contribute to creating a better world. Having been trained as an electrochemist, redox flow battery is a pathway where I can apply my knowledge and skills to deliver affordable and renewable energy to everyone,” Dr. Li said when asked what motivated him to begin research on this topic.
Grid batteries act as an energy insurance plan while increasing savings by optimizing solar (or wind) usage with your utility’s policies. The current market relies on Lithium-ion technologies for emerging grid-scale battery applications, the same technology used in rechargeable computers and phones.