Technology:
Sumitomo Electric
plans to market redox flow batteries in 2014. A redox flow battery, which has a
life five years longer than a lithium-ion cell, maintains almost the same
performance for 15 years and hardly causes a trouble in normal temperature operation.
The company reckons that redox flow battery will be in great demand as an
auxiliary power source. It has already started preparations for the mass
production of major parts. The redox flow battery discharges and charges by the
repetition of oxidation reaction and reduction reaction in both sides of the
ion-exchange membrane, while circulating vanadium electrolyte by pump. A redox
flow battery cannot easily be made small enough to incorporate in a mobile
phone because of the necessity of circulating the electrolyte, but it has a
long life because the electrode does not deteriorate easily.
The company will
focus on the mega solar with an output of several mega watts per hour. A set of
photovoltaic generation system with an output of five mega watts that
incorporates redox flow batteries will be about 1,000 million yen. At present, lead
batteries are widespread, but demand for small high-performance lithium-ion
batteries will expand in the domestic market. A lithium-ion battery needs maintenance
to prevent thermal runaway in addition to a life that is about 10 years at the
longest. The company set up a division staffed with about 30 engineers
exclusively for the development of redox flow battery in Osaka. In the initial stage, the company will
invest 800 million yen to establish a mass production technology to produce a
separating membrane that separates electrolyte into the positive electrode and
negative electrode.
Battery
|
Life and frequency of discharges and charges
|
Cost of
introduction (yen per kW/h)
|
Lead
|
17 years (3,150
times)
|
50,000 yen
|
Nickel hydride
|
5-7 years (2,000
times)
|
100,000 yen
|
Lithium-ion
|
6-10 years (3,500
times)
|
200,000 yen
|
Sodium-sulfur
|
15 years (4,500
times)
|
40,000 yen
|
Redox flow
|
15-20 years (limitless)
|
Several tens of
thousand yen
|
Smart Grid from Sumitomo
Electric
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