Current energy policies and strategies are mainly addressed to sustain the diffusion of renewable energy source technologies; however, their intermittency represents an obstacle to their extensive penetration into the grid. In order to enhance the utilization of the renewable energy sources for the power generation, electric energy storage solutions are indispensable. Existing storage technologies are characterized by different storage capacity, storage efficiency and discharge time and thus, the choice of the best technology depends on its application. Fuel cells/electrolyzers and flow batteries represent a potential solution for the electrical energy storage in the future. These systems that are based on electrochemical flow processes can be considered as a good alternative to the conventional batteries based on classic electrochemical batch processes, because they allow high energy storage thanks to their reaction products that can be stored independently from the stack design. This study aims to analyze similarities and differences between reversible fuel cells, working at low temperature, and vanadium redox flow batteries. The comparison is carried out taking into account the process type, the BoP needs, the ionic transport in the membranes, the operating conditions and the storage capacity (pressure and volume). In this study the analysis is based on experimental and numerical evaluations.

PEM FUEL CELLS AND VANADIUM REDOX FLOW BATTERIES: TWO TECHNOLOGIES FOR STORING ELECTRICITY THROUGH A FLOW PROCESS

Perna A.;
2017-01-01

Abstract

Current energy policies and strategies are mainly addressed to sustain the diffusion of renewable energy source technologies; however, their intermittency represents an obstacle to their extensive penetration into the grid. In order to enhance the utilization of the renewable energy sources for the power generation, electric energy storage solutions are indispensable. Existing storage technologies are characterized by different storage capacity, storage efficiency and discharge time and thus, the choice of the best technology depends on its application. Fuel cells/electrolyzers and flow batteries represent a potential solution for the electrical energy storage in the future. These systems that are based on electrochemical flow processes can be considered as a good alternative to the conventional batteries based on classic electrochemical batch processes, because they allow high energy storage thanks to their reaction products that can be stored independently from the stack design. This study aims to analyze similarities and differences between reversible fuel cells, working at low temperature, and vanadium redox flow batteries. The comparison is carried out taking into account the process type, the BoP needs, the ionic transport in the membranes, the operating conditions and the storage capacity (pressure and volume). In this study the analysis is based on experimental and numerical evaluations.
2017
978-88-8286-356-2
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11580/65647
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