Vanadium redox flow technology provider redT energy has passed its G59 pre-testing for its 15kW / 240kWh vanadium flow energy storage systems, which are located at the Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC) in Cumbernauld, Scotland.

The units arrived at PNDC in early June. UK-based Utility Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has now carried out the testing on site, examining how safely the units could be installed on the Isle of Gigha.

redT can now begin installing and commissioning of the system on the island. This will be followed by further testing and the full commissioning of the 1.68MWh system with connection to the island’s grid. The purpose of the storage system is to manage grid constraints related to four community-owned wind turbines.

redT claims this will be the first containerised, utility-scale vanadium flow system deployed globally, in order to help integrate renewable energy.

The firm’s energy storage system has a liquid storage medium, which it claims allows for a long life of more than 10,000 full charge/discharge cycles as well as a 100% usable depth of discharge. It has applications in remote power, smart grids, power quality, and other areas of renewable energy management.

The ability of flow batteries to provide long duration storage without degradation is a tempting proposition for renewables developers, as detailed in previous Energy Storage News blog.

David Rutherford, chief executive, PNDC, said: “Storage offers the potential to smooth out the fluctuations of renewable energy electricity production. Flow machines like the one being demonstrated by redT provide some unique characteristics for the evolving market place. In half a decade, these technologies will be embedded features of our energy market.”

Scott McGregor, chief executive of redT energy, said: “The deployment of this machine to the Isle of Gigha is ground breaking as far as it is represents the first time that contract manufacturing of a large commodity unit such as this has been successfully deployed ahead of commercial production globally.”