Duke Energy testing new flow battery from Honeywell
Honeywell launched a new flow battery technology to pair with renewable generation sources that uses a non-flammable electrolyte for extended duration utility-scale sites (the chemistry was not specified in the news release). The flow battery technology will be tested by Duke Energy at its Emerging Technology and Innovation Center in Mount Holly, N.C. The company has more than a decade of experience testing various battery chemistries and has deployed numerous large-scale energy storage projects across the country.
Honeywell’s new technology can store and discharge electricity for up to 12 hours, exceeding the duration of lithium-ion batteries, which can only discharge up to 4 hours. The battery is designed with recyclable components and does not degrade over time, according to Honeywell, providing “a reliable and cost-efficient system for 20 years.”
Honeywell will deliver a 400-kilowatt-hour (kWh) unit to Duke Energy’s facility in Mount Holly in 2022. If the battery is deployed at scale, it will reduce the use of Duke Energy’s fossil-fuel power plants by utilizing solar and wind. These renewable generation sources represent over 70% of new power generation, and Honeywell aims to deploy a utility-scale pilot project of 60-MWh starting in 2023.
“With this flow battery, Honeywell has developed an innovative energy storage technology to answer upcoming energy storage needs beyond the current technologies available on the market,” said Ben Owens, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. “As utilities and corporations seek cost-effective alternatives to coal-fired plants with long-duration energy storage solutions, they are switching to renewable energy targets that work around the clock to reduce carbon emissions. By partnering with Duke, we can implement this innovate energy storage technology at scale and bring to market a revolutionary flow battery to meet growing energy storage demands while assisting companies in meeting their carbon neutral goals.”
“Duke Energy has followed flow battery technology for a number of years and is interested in the advancements Honeywell is pursuing,” said Tom Fenimore, director, Smart Grid Emerging Technology and Operations. “Our Emerging Technology and Innovation Center is an ideal proving ground to study this technology. Over the next five years, Duke Energy plans to install almost 400 megawatts of battery storage capacity in our service territory. We have a keen interest in breakthrough technologies.”
Industry data states that the long duration energy storage market will grow to $13.7B by 2030 and require 115 gigawatts (GW) of energy storage to support the implementation of wind and solar capacity.
More on the Honeywell solution
Honeywell hopes to establish itself this as one of the first vertically integrated end-to-end energy storage solution providers from battery manufacturing to integration, controls, energy management systems and performance contracts.
The Honeywell flow battery can also be combined with Honeywell’s unified system for process, business and asset management, Experion PKS, and its enterprise performance management solution, Honeywell Forge, for remote monitoring. The combination of technologies and renewable energy generation sources will provide a complete integrated energy storage solution for utilities and independent power producers to meet net-zero carbon goals.
Honeywell recently committed to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035. About half of Honeywell’s new product introduction research and development investment is directed toward products that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers.
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