Rechargeable Batteries for Grid Scale Energy Storage

Abstract

Ever-increasing global energy consumption has driven the development of renewable energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) with high electrochemical performance are critical for enabling renewable yet intermittent sources of energy such as solar and wind. In recent years, numerous new battery technologies have been achieved and showed great potential for grid scale energy storage (GSES) applications. However, their practical applications have been greatly impeded due to the gap between the breakthroughs achieved in research laboratories and the industrial applications. In addition, various complex applications call for different battery performances. Matching of diverse batteries to various applications is required to promote practical energy storage research achievement. This review provides indepth discussion and comprehensive consideration in the battery research field for GSES. The overall requirements of battery technologies for practical applications with key parameters are systematically analyzed by generating standards and measures for GSES. We also discuss recent progress and existing challenges for some representative battery technologies with great promise for GSES, including metal-ion batteries, lead−acid batteries, molten-salt batteries, alkaline batteries, redox-flow batteries, metal−air batteries, and hydrogen-gas batteries. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of bringing emerging battery technologies from academia to industry. Our perspectives on the future development of batteries for GSES applications are provided.

The role of energy density for grid-scale batteries

“…With a plethora of available BESS technologies, including lithium-ion, sodium-sulfur and flow batteries, much attention has been dedicated to energy density as a key metric for economic and practical viability. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] In principle, more energy-dense batteries allow more energy to be stored on a site with a given footprint, reducing costs and associated infrastructure needs. In fact, low energy density is frequently highlighted as the key limitation of flow batteries in academic literature and media reports, with the energy density on cell level typically being an order of magnitude lower than for lithium-ion batteries (LIB).…”

“…In fact, low energy density is frequently highlighted as the key limitation of flow batteries in academic literature and media reports, with the energy density on cell level typically being an order of magnitude lower than for lithium-ion batteries (LIB). [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]28,29 As such, significant research efforts are being dedicated to finding new highly soluble active materials, ideally with multi-electron redox properties, translating into higher energy storage capacity per volume of electrolyte. 22,[30][31][32][33][34] This trend extends to other aqueous battery chemistries that are envisioned for stationary applications, where tremendous efforts are devoted to electrolyte development and overcoming cell voltage limitations imposed by the narrow electrochemical stability window of water.…”

Controllable CF4 Plasma In Situ Modification Strategy Enables Durable Zinc Metal Anode

“…Aqueous zinc-ion battery (ZIB) with high safety and low cost has been considered one of the feasible solutions for grid-scale energy storage. − However, the dendrite issue of the zinc anode greatly impedes the practical application of ZIBs. − During the charging process of the cell, the growth of zinc dendrite will pierce the separator and cause a short circuit. During the discharging process of the battery, the preferential dissolution of the dendrite root causes the deposited zinc to detach from the substrate and form “dead zinc” .…”

Redox Flow Batteries: Electrolyte Chemistries Unlock the Thermodynamic Limits

“…Renewable electricity will enable the transformative changes for zero‐emission road transportation and decarbonization of chemical industries. The demand for rechargeable batteries that can be integrated in the power grid network continues to grow [1,2] . The criteria for the widespread adoption of the battery systems include cost‐effectiveness of the components, installation flexibility, temperature resilience, reliability for decade‐long operation, inherent safety, reduced environmental footprint and high recyclability.…”