Hydrogen-Bromine Flow Battery

Default ARPA-E Project Image


Program:
GRIDS
Award:
$1,900,136
Location:
Berkeley, California
Status:
ALUMNI
Project Term:
10/01/2010 - 09/30/2013

Technology Description:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is designing a flow battery for grid storage that relies on a hydrogen-bromine chemistry which could be more efficient, last longer, and cost less than today's lead-acid batteries. Flow batteries are fundamentally different from traditional lead-acid batteries because the chemical reactants that provide their energy are stored in external tanks instead of inside the battery. A flow battery can provide more energy because all that is required to increase its storage capacity is to increase the size of the external tanks. The hydrogen-bromine reactants used by LBNL in its flow battery are inexpensive, long lasting, and provide power quickly. The cost of the design could be well below $100 per kilowatt hour, which would rival conventional grid-scale battery technologies.

Potential Impact:

If successful, LBNL's flow battery would provide an affordable, long-life, grid-storage device that can encourage the widespread use of wind and solar power.

Security:

A more efficient and reliable grid would be more resilient to potential disruptions.

Environment:

Electricity generation accounts for over 40% of U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Enabling large-scale contributions of wind and solar power for our electricity generation would result in a substantial decrease in CO2 emissions.

Economy:

Increases in the availability of wind and solar power would reduce fossil fuel demand, resulting in reduced fuel prices and more stable electricity rates.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Ilan Gur
Project Contact:
Dr. Venkat Srinivasan
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
vsrinivasan@lbl.gov

Partners

Robert Bosch, LLC
DuPont

Related Projects


Release Date:
03/02/2010