Salgenx energy storage salt water-based system
An American tech startup named Salgenx recently completed a saltwater-based flow battery.
Indeed, energy storage plays a critical role in enabling the widespread adoption of renewable energy sources and addressing the challenges associated with their intermittency. Developing efficient and cost-effective energy storage solutions is essential for ensuring a reliable and stable energy supply while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The use of saltwater-based energy storage technologies, like the one developed by Salgenx, holds promise due to the potential benefits of using abundant and environmentally friendly materials. Saltwater is readily available and non-toxic, which could contribute to the sustainability of energy storage systems and minimize negative environmental impacts.
While the details of Salgenx’s saltwater-based energy storage technology aren’t provided in your message, it’s exciting to see companies exploring innovative solutions in this space. As the renewable energy industry continues to grow, advancements in energy storage will play a pivotal role in accelerating the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.
What is this innovative idea?
Importantly, the Salgenx flow battery is a scalable product with high potential.
Two electrolytes, including salt water, are used to store energy.
The solution looks very interesting, so its originator expects a quick implementation on the market.
Both the design and the method of operation have been entirely developed by Salgenx. The startup devoted a lot of energy and time before presenting the fruit of its work to the world.
Salt water-based energy storage design
The energy storage system developed by Salgenx consists of two electrolyte tanks. One of them contains salt water. The second contains an electrolyte with a proprietary composition (i.e. its composition has not been made public).
The Salgenx team reports that the new flow battery has no membranes, which allowed the developers to reduce the costs of the entire system, including maintenance costs such as maintenance and inspections.
What are the possible uses of this energy storage?
As the creators emphasize, the energy storage system based on salt water presented by them can be used on a commercial scale. In particular, the creators mention the possibility of its connection, for example, with photovoltaic and wind farms.
On the other hand, the new solution can work great in agriculture. for example, to power greenhouse lighting or water pumps.
In addition, the construction of the Salgenx system based on a saltwater electrolyte tank also allows the storage of thermal energy. To take advantage of this functionality, it will be necessary to use a heat pump with CO2 as a refrigerant. Undoubtedly, the implementation of this functionality is beneficial for the investor, because it will noticeably accelerate the return on investment.
Product license sale
Salgenx announced that it would like to commercialize its product as soon as possible. That is why it presented this idea and has already made it possible to purchase a license for its solution.
Importantly, the contracting party who decides to purchase a license receives the product in the configuration of his choice, along with comprehensive technical support during the implementation of the entire system. In addition, to ensure a high-quality service for license holders, the startup announced that it will only sell 10 licenses per year in the world.
Proposed configurations of the Salgenx energy storage
Currently, Salgenx intends to offer batteries with several capacities to choose from:
- 0.25 MWh,
- 3 MWh,
- 6 MWh,
- 12 MWh,
- 18 MWh.
The energy density of the battery is 125.7 Wh/l.
The efficiency of energy transfer is about 91%.
Energy storage cost from Salgenx
Of course, the price is not one, because it depends on several factors that should be taken into account. For example, the Salgenx energy storage system with a capacity of 3 MWh costs PLN 500,000. dollars. That equates to a price of about $166 per kWh. However, the same product, but with a larger capacity will definitely cost more.
What is the expected lifetime of a Salgenx warehouse?
It’s a new system, so time can only be estimated. No hard data. However, the manufacturer, based on his calculations, predictions, and tests, declares that the life of the warehouse is 25 years.
Sources:
Salgenx. The Salt Water Flow Battery, salgenx.com
US startup unveils saltwater flow battery for large-scale storage, www.pv-magazine.com
Startup unveils saltwater flow battery for large-scale storage, pv-magazine-usa.com