Do you think vanadium redox batteries hold the potential to revolutionize the way energy is stored?

Yes I do. PNNL is working on three battery technologies for large-scale solar and wind integration: Redox Flow Battery, Na Metal Halide, and low-cost Li-ion. Sodium Sulfur is another potential battery technology being developed. There is no other viable candidate. Vanadium redox batteries are going to change the way we integrate renewable energies into our current grid structure.

One of the unique things about vanadium is that it has multiple oxidation states. It is one of the few elements you can use on both the cathode and the anode. So since the cathode and anode are of the same species, there is less contamination and crossover in the battery. So vanadium is very attractive for this type of application. I can see there being tremendous increase in demand for vanadium as these batteries become commercially viable.

Securities Disclosure: I, Karan Kumar, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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