Single liquid flow battery

Single liquid flow battery (SLIQ) is a liquid battery which consist of only one rechargeable liquid and a technology which can be used for grid storage. This is an interesting concept due to the simplicity, low cost, durability, thermal stability (no thermal runaway), low carbon foot print, eliminating the need of rare earth minerals for storage and its applicability to transportation systems. Departments of Business Energy And Industrial Strategy of UK (BEIS) has identified a company which has successfully installed such a prototype in year 2013. According to the BEIS Report this is a novel flow battery technology that is low-cost, long lasting and easily scalable. In this battery technology, the electrolyte and part of the cathode is converted to free flowing liquid, making this a different battery variant. The result is a polysulfide redox Single Liquid Battery (SLIQ). According to this report this technology has the potential to make a significant cost reduction to both the capital and levelized cost of energy storage. In addition to low cost, the SLIQ has high energy density, millisecond response time and +20 year lifetime. The power and energy are independently scalable giving complete flexibility and high
efficiency (92%) has been demonstrated by the first demonstrator installed at Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula in Scotland, UK. A detailed report of the first prototype of this groundbreaking technology can be found in this case study. Technologies such as the SLIQ are crucial to fight the present climate crisis. Inventors have shared audio and visual material online for interested parties to understand the technology and to use it with renewable energy technologies
Invention and Inventor
The Single Liquid Flow battery or the SLIQ technology was invented in year 2013 by Pasidu Pallawela. According to World Intellectual property organisation WIPO Pasidu Pallawela and StorTera (Power Migration Partners Ltd) holds patent rights to this technology. Patent information is shown here - Pasidu Pallawela's Single Liquid Flow Battery Technology Further information about this patent is found in the UK intellectual Property office website. Single liquid flow battery patent
Pasidu Pallawela is credited with multiple inventions and granted patents over the past years such as surface area-based pressure sensing device to life saving energy back packs.
Pasidu Pallawela has delivered talks about this novel energy storage technology in several high-profile industrial energy conferences such as All Energy conference and exhibition in the UK. As a business innovation, this was nominated for MEL British Chamber of commerce Awards in 2017 as the best business innovation and won the category award. StorTera won several Rushlight Awards for this ground breaking battery technology in 2020, winning the prestigious overall Rushlight award , energy environmental group category award and the Energy Efficiency group Award . The Society for the Environment website describes this technology as " a highly novel system with one rechargeable liquid low cost, abundant and natural materials. This is then combined with an artificial intelligence-based control system to complement the flow battery. This can optimise performance by storing renewable energy when it is available on the grid, learning usage behaviour to maximise profitability and using machine learning to optimise the efficiency of the flow battery.."
Prototypes and industry application
According to Sustainable Islands International website report a 30kWh/8 kW prototype has been installed in Scotland to support a remote community and has been running successfully since 2013.
The company has been recently selected by Canadian and UK governments to install large scale SLIQ battery systems to support the grid and to support storage of renewable generation. According to this news article in a British news paper says that this technology and supporting electronics will demonstrate how this energy storage systems can increase uptake of renewables, save money for customers and utilities, and accelerate carbon reductions by boosting the use of electric energy.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu