Redflow Limited, supplier of a unique zinc-bromine flow battery based in Australia, has been approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for the state’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). This is notable as Redflow is one of the few non-lithium energy storage providers to receive SGIP approval.
SGIP provides rebates to support existing, new, and emerging energy storage resources in California that, when installed, are able to meet all or a portion of the electrical energy needs of a facility.
Redflow’s zinc-bromine flow batteries are ideally suited to time-shifting energy on a daily, full-cycle basis, and provide emergency power supplies in a wide range of climates. Some operational notes:
- Up to 12 hours discharge and potential to extend with hibernation mode
- Less than 1 second start up response time
- Batteries can be left 100 percent charged indefinitely
- System can be ‘parked’ at any state of charge, with no impact on performance
The Redflow batteries become more economically attractive in California with this approval.
“With more than 10 years of experience delivering energy storage solutions and supporting critical infrastructure, our rugged technology has already been proven in a wide range of harsh environments, and is well-placed to support the needs of disadvantaged communities in California as outlined in the SGIP guidelines,” stated Redflow Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Tim Harris.
Redflow already has a 2 MWh zinc-bromine flow battery system up and running in the state at the Anaergia Rialto Bioenergy facility. This is Redflow’s largest commercial deployment, and the energy storage system also recently celebrated a successful first year in operation.
The twelve Energy Pods (each containing 16 x ZBM2 batteries) are monitored remotely via Redflow’s cloud-based battery management system. In all, 1.92 MWh of energy is delivered at a peak power of 500 kW. The system includes four 125 kW Dynapower MPS-125 EHV commercial inverter systems. Redflow expects to implement similar systems for other commercial clients across North America.
Current SGIP rebates for qualifying distributed energy storage systems installed on the customer’s side of the utility meter can range up to $1,000 per kWh, with the highest amounts for projects deployed within state-designated disadvantaged communities.
— Solar Builder magazine
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