Sustainability is inherent in the value proposition of our products.
VRB Energy takes pride in encouraging our customers to be part of a sustainable supply chain and circular economy.
Nearly 100% of VRB Energy‘s battery technology is reusable or recyclable. This provides our customers with tremendous value, as the vanadium electrolyte can be reused in another project, or recycled for significant commodity value at the end of project life – as opposed to going to waste.
Vanadium is a readily available material, abundant in the earth, and it can also be sourced and recovered from various combustion and chemical waste streams. Recovering vanadium for use in batteries is just the first step in creating a virtuous cycle of environmental benefits.
Vanadium redox flow batteries are far greener than other batteries, as they lack potentially toxic metals like lead, cadmium, zinc, and nickel – which have been known to contaminate the environment at all phases of the battery life cycle. VRB-ESS owners eliminate and avoid a looming disposal problem requisite for other battery types.
VRB-ESS® have minimum environmental impact, while providing essentially unlimited charging/discharging cycles.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
Nearly 100% of a VRB-ESS® is either reusable or recyclable, or both.
Vanadium flow battery technology is the green solution for the renewable energy revolution.
As the electricity sector transitions from the era of fossil-fired generation to more sustainable renewable energy sources, it is important to have an environmentally and economically friendly battery storage solution.
Most of the vanadium used in VRB-ESS® electrolyte is recovered from waste streams (such as a steel slag, oil field sludge, fly ash and other similar sources), which by itself is a significant benefit to the environment. In addition to maintaining its energy-carrying capacity over a 25+ year system lifetime, the electrolyte that constitutes the bulk of VRB Energy systems can be reused in another VRB-ESS® system or the vanadium itself can be recycled for reuse as a commodity, which can be a significant economic value.
With the exception of power converters and control cabinets, most of the non-electrolyte portion of our battery is made of plastic and steel (which can be nearly 100% recycled at end-of-life). This dramatically helps improve lifecycle economics, as well as environmental benefits.
No Short Circuits. No Fires. No Risk.
The VRB-ESS® liquid electrolyte is non-toxic and non-flammable.
Unlike other large battery storage systems, vanadium flow batteries do not pose a fire safety hazard. VRB Energy's advanced VRB-ESS® battery technology operate at low pressure and low temperature, and have an inherently safe design.
This eliminates a tremendous amount of risk (and cost) for project owners/operators and local fire departments and first responders. It also helps ensure that local communities and permitting agencies are supportive of the technology.
Our 1MW Power Module and 60kW cell stacks were recently certified to UL1973 product safety standards and are each the largest on the market.
VRB Energy sources most of it's vanadium from recycled steel and petrochemical waste, dramatically improving environmental impact, which can be a significant economic value.
VRB-ESS are non-flammable and operate at low temperature and low pressure. There is no need to rely on complex battery management systems to prevent thermal runaway or combustion.
Our customers can reuse the vanadium electrolyte in another battery, or recycle the vanadium for its inherent commodity value.
Vanadium is the core of our technology. An abundant metal and readily available commodity, it is used in steel manufacturing and as a chemical catalyst. Vanadium exists in 4 different ionic states inside our electrolyte and can readily add/subtract electrons without any risk of combustion, thermal runaway or degradation.
VRB Energy's manufacturing is certified to ISO9001 safety and quality standards. Our 1MW Power Module and 60kW cell stacks are certified to UL1973 product safety standards.
Contact us to learn more about what we can do for your energy storage needs.