VRFB energy storage project financing options in Canada 2030

What does VRFB stand for?

Invinity grid-scale flow battery units at a site in England, UK. Image: Invinity Energy Systems. Invinity Energy Systems will supply vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) technology to a solar-plus-storage project in Alberta, Canada.

Which companies sell VRFBs in 2022?

Arbonia, a listed Swiss company with ~6,500 employees active in the areas of indoor climate control and interior doors, started selling VRFBs in 2022. Invinity will supply an 8.4MWh VRFB to a solar-plus-storage project in Alberta, Canada. It will be paired with a 21MW solar PV plant. Sumitomo installed a 51MWh VRFB in Hokkaido.

Who makes VRFBs in South Africa?

Local manufacturer Delectrik has delivered VRFBs locally and started to deliver for export, as well. Bushveld Energy achieved financial close and started construction on a minigrid featuring 3.5MW of solar PV and a 4MWh VRFB from CellCube. The minigrid is an IPP that sells energy to a mine. The VRFB used vanadium mined by Bushveld in South Africa.

Does project finance apply to energy storage projects?

The general principles of project finance that apply to the financing of solar and wind projects also apply to energy storage projects. Since the majority of solar projects currently under construction include a storage system, lenders in the project finance markets are willing to finance the construction and cashflows of an energy storage project.

What is a VRFB minigrid?

The minigrid is an IPP that sells energy to a mine. The VRFB used vanadium mined by Bushveld in South Africa. Largo Clean Energy announced the start of manufacturing of a 6.1MWh VRFB to be installed in Spain with Enel Green Power. The battery will be coupled with a 1MW PV plant to shift excess solar generation from day to evening.

Why is the VRFB supply chain important?

Nearly every region of the world is seeing activities by VRFB companies and the supply chain. The number of activities along the supply chain is increasing, which is important to allow for start up battery companies to deliver more and larger VRFBs. Plus, multiple established companies are entering the VRFB industry and its supply chain.