Uniper, CMBlu to test large-scale storage system of organic solid-flow batteries

CMBlu Energy AG has developed organic solid-flow battery technology. Image by CMBlu Energy AG.

German energy company Uniper SE (ETR:UN01) and battery maker CMBlu Energy AG are working on a pilot project for the construction of a large-scale power storage system based on organic solid-flow technology.

The partners will test the storage facility at Uniper's Staudinger power plant in Grosskrotzenburg, Hesse, to assess the technological and economic potential of the system.

The technology, used in the project, was developed by CMBlu, Uniper said on Wednesday.

Peter Geigle, CMBlu's chief executive, believes that the battery system is a game changer as it is a competitive and cost-effective alternative to existing storage technologies. It combines the high energy density of solid-state with the arbitrary scalability of capacity and performance of flow batteries and it does not require the use of rare raw materials, according to him.

The plant will go online next year with an initial capacity of 1 MW/1 MWh. Once the pilot phase is successfully completed, the system's capacity could be raised to the double-digit MW range.

"In terms of sustainable climate protection, we need high-performance stationary electricity storage for renewable energy volumes," said Uniper's Director Innovation Arne Hauner.

"The increasing electrification of processes in industry and in private households is leading to a growing need for base-load capability from renewable energies to maintain security of supply. Solid-flow batteries are ideally suited for this purpose in Uniper's view," Hauner added.

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