The Zinc Bromine Flow Battery

This book presents a detailed technical overview of short- and long-term materials and design challenges to zinc/bromine flow battery advancement, the need for energy storage in the electrical grid and how these may be met with the Zn/Br system. Practical interdisciplinary pathways forward are identified via cross-comparison and comprehensive review of significant findings from more than 300 published works, with clear in-depth explanations spanning initial RFB development to state-of-the-art research in related systems. Promising strategies described include the use of modern electrochemical techniques to study and optimize physical processes occurring within the system during operation, improving zinc electroplating quality during the charge phase through the strategic use of organic additives, as well as identifying suitable catalysts to optimize the bromine/bromide redox couple. The primary focus is on research and development of novel materials in the areas of electrolyte formulation and multifunctional “smart” electrode surfaces to achieve a higher degree of control over processes at the electrode–electrolyte interface. The strategies suggested in this book are also highly adaptable for use in other similar flow battery systems, while the unique cross-comparative approach makes it a useful reference and source of new ideas for both new and established researchers in the field of energy storage and battery technology.

Flow batteries have received attention in large-scale energy storage due to their flexible design, high safety, high energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness. In recent years, they have been rapidly developed and tested in a variety of scales that prove their feasibility and advantages of use. As energy becomes a global focus, it is important to consider flow battery systems. This book offers a detailed introduction to the function of different kinds of redox flow batteries, including vanadium flow batteries, as well as the electrochemical processes for their development, materials and components, applications, and near future prospects. Redox Flow Batteries: Fundamentals and Applications will give readers a full understanding of flow batteries from fundamentals to commercial applications.

The zinc-bromine hybrid redox flow battery (RFB) is one of the few battery systems that have seen implementation on the medium to large scale energy storage. However, there still exist financial barriers to allow this technology to be fully utilised on the market. To improve this system, several potential areas could be improved from cell design, additive chemistries and electrode materials.

As energy produced from renewable sources is increasingly integrated into the electricity grid, interest in energy storage technologies for grid stabilisation is growing. This book reviews advances in battery technologies and applications for medium and large-scale energy storage. Chapters address advances in nickel, sodium and lithium-based batteries. Other chapters review other emerging battery technologies such as metal-air batteries and flow batteries. The final section of the book discuses design considerations and applications of batteries in remote locations and for grid-scale storage. Reviews advances in battery technologies and applications for medium and large-scale energy storage Examines battery types, including zing-based, lithium-air and vanadium redox flow batteries Analyses design issues and applications of these technologies

Recent decades have seen huge growth in the renewable energy sector, spurred on by concerns about climate change and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. One of the major difficulties raised by an increasing reliance on renewable resources is the inflexibility when it comes to controlling supply in response to demand. For example, solar energy can only be produced during the day. The development of methods for storing the energy produced by renewable sources is therefore crucial to the continued stability of global energy supplies. However, as with all new technology, it is important to consider the environmental impacts as well as the benefits. This book brings together authors from a variety of different backgrounds to explore the state-of-the-art of large-scale energy storage and examine the environmental impacts of the main categories based on the types of energy stored. A valuable resource, not just for those working and researching in the renewable energy sector, but also for policymakers around the world.