Pivot Power and Invinity Energy Systems have fully energised their 5 megawatt-hour flow battery as part of the Energy Superhub Oxford in the UK.
The £41 million project, manufactured in the UK by Invinity, will combine with a 50MWh Wartsila lithium-ion battery to operate as a single energy storage asset.
The flow battery system will be the largest directly-transmission-connected battery installed in the UK to date and the largest vanadium flow and lithium-ion hybrid battery ever deployed.
This hybrid approach leverages the strengths of each technology to increase grid resiliency and create a smarter, more flexible energy system, ultimately supporting the integration of more renewable generation onto the UK grid, Invinity said.
In the ESO hybrid energy storage system, Invinity’s vanadium flow batteries are used to ‘front-end’ the energy asset, acting as a first line of response when the system is called into service; only after the required response exceeds the capacity of the Invinity battery does the lithium-ion battery get called into service.
Invinity said the flow battery does not degrade with use and can cycle indefinitely meaning that it performs much of the ‘heavy-lifting’ required from the system while reducing wear on the lithium-ion battery.
Led by Pivot Power, Energy Superhub Oxford aims to save 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year once fully operational, rising to 25,000 tonnes per year by 2032.
In Spring 2022 the project is set to open the UK’s largest public electric vehicle charging hub on the outskirts of Oxford, at Redbridge Park and Ride.
Since September, Invinity has installed 27 of its VS3 flow batteries, at the battery site alongside National Grid’s substation in Cowley, Oxfordshire.
Combined these batteries can deliver enough energy to serve the daily electricity needs of over 600 UK households.
Pivot Power programme manager for Energy Superhub Oxford Tim Rose said: “Energising the vanadium flow battery is an important step towards full commissioning and operation of the system.
“Once live, this cutting-edge hybrid battery will demonstrate how vanadium flow and lithium-ion technologies can be combined for maximum benefit, to accelerate net zero and power our lives with clean energy.”
Invinity chief executive officer Larry Zulch said: “Energising the largest flow battery in the UK marks a proud moment for Invinity, but even more important is how this innovative project is a model for cities worldwide.
“It demonstrates that energy storage pioneers such as Pivot Power can collaborate with local government to deliver a future-proofed, flexible grid that supports the renewable energy transition and the shift to an electrified, net zero future.
“We are honored to support Energy Superhub Oxford with utility-grade energy storage.”