Scaled Electricity Storage Using Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Energy storage)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor J Irvine
Chemistry
University of St Andrews

Standard

EPSRC

01 April 2015

31 March 2016

12 months

£137,564

Energy

Scotland

Energy : Energy

Professor J Irvine, Chemistry, University of St Andrews

Dr PA Connor, Chemistry, University of St Andrews

The University of St Andrews and OXIS Energy Ltd will collaborate in order to demonstrate a lithium-sulfur (Li-S) flowbattery. Li-S chemistry has two key advantages; it uses cheap and abundant raw materials; and delivers vastly improvedenergy density in comparison to incumbent technologies. Li-S batteries are therefore cheaper per unit of energy storedthan incumbent technologies. The proposed project will seek to demonstrate how this can be exploited together with anovel Redox Flow Battery (RFB) design to deliver cost effective energy storage at a grid level. The project will demonstratethe operation of a lab scale Li-S RFB. This will involve the design and construction of new test hardware; the developmentof new electrolyte formulations; the testing of novel electrode materials and composites; and finally the investigation ofoperation conditions. The resulting battery will establish the commercial feasibility of the concept for stationary applications,where large battery capacity and low cost are essential. This inexpensive grid-scale battery promises to efficiently connect intermittent renewables to the grid thus increasing energy security while simultaneously reducing both bills and emissions

15/07/15