Zinc bromine flow battery producer Primus Power has launched its second-generation battery, the EnergyPod 2, the US firm announced on February 21.

Paul Ferrera, a business development official at Primus Power, said the new model was being tested by corporates including Microsoft and utilities such as Samruk Energy in Kazakhstan.

“The EnergyPod represents a breakthrough in energy storage technology due to its long life — 20 years — long duration and fade-free performance (no loss of capacity for the life of the battery),” said Ferrera.

Other flow battery manufacturers also point to the long duration and fade-free performance as being a characteristic of their batteries, but Ferrera says the EnergyPod2 offers fewer maintenance costs because it does not have a membrane.

“The membrane in a typical flow battery degrades over time, which causes capacity degradation and the eventual need for replacement,” said Ferrera. “So, while other flow batteries may quote a 20-year life, those batteries will not offer full capacity for all those years and will require costly replacements. Without a membrane, our battery can offer a 20-year life with no loss of capacity and low operating and maintenance expenses. Also, due to our single flow, single tank design, we only have one set of pipes and pumps, again cutting down on initial and maintenance costs.”

The EnergyPod 2 differs from its predecessor, the EnergyPod, in being modular, which means it can scale from 25kW to more than 25MW, depending on application, Ferrera told BESB.

“When looking at the long-term economics of a battery storage project, as many utilities and corporations do, our battery has an industry-leading levelized cost of ownership,” said Ferrera. “EnergyPods also have a single-loop, single tank, membrane-less design that is unique and allows for the 20-year fade-free life.”