Performance and Perspectives of an Acid/base Flow Battery

Abstract

Recently, the utilisation of renewable energy sources is a matter of increasing importance in Europe for Energy Transition and to achieve energy independence. To this aim, tailored Electric Energy Storage (EES) devices must be employed to tackle the issue of fluctuating production from renewables. The Acid/Base Flow Battery (AB-FB) is a cutting-edge technology that allows energy to be stored in the form of acidic and alkaline solutions (van Egmond et al., 2018). This method employs two membrane processes, one for the charge phase and one for the discharge phase, namely Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membrane (EDBM) and Reverse Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membrane (REDBM), respectively. The polymeric membranes and the two electrodes are the main components of this battery.