The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) made an announcement on Oct. 5 that a research team led by Professor Kim Hee-tak of the Department of Biochemical Engineering has developed redox flow battery for the world's largest life-long, high-capacity energy storage system (ESS).
ESS is a device that stores large amounts of electricity produced by solar and wind power and sends it out when needed. It is a necessary facility for the government's policy to expand renewable energy.
Most ESSs are based on low-priced lithium-ion batteries, but a series of recent fires have raised safety concerns.
The study, in which Lee Ju-hyuk, a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at KAIST, participated as the first author, was published in the September issue of the international journal Energy and Environmental Science and was selected as a cover paper. (Paper name: Dendrite-free Zn electrodeposition triggered by interatomic orbital hybridization of Zn and single vacancy carbon defects for aqueous Zn-based flow batteries)
Recently, Energy Storage Systems (ESS) technology, which can store renewable and late-night power in large quantities, supply stored energy to facilities if necessary, and increase efficiency of energy use, has been in the spotlight.
Currently, most ESSs adopt low-priced 'lithium ion battery' technology. However, lithium-ion batteries have been criticized for not being suitable for ESS, which stores large amounts of electricity due to the inherent risk of fire.
In fact, 35% of 33 ESS fire accidents caused by lithium-ion batteries in Korea have been suspended for two years from 2017 to 2019. The total amount of damage so far alone is estimated to be more than 700 billion won ($593 million).
As a result, 'Redox Flow Battery' using water system electrolyte, which can fundamentally block overheating of batteries, is receiving much attention recently.
