Abstract: Renewable energies, such as solar and wind power, are increasingly being introduced as alternative energy sources on a glosbal scale toward a low-carbon society. For the next generation power network, which uses a large number of these distributed power generation sources, energy storage technologies will be indispensable. Among these technologies, battery energy storage technology is considered to be most viable. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has developed a redox flow battery system suitable for large scale energy storage, and carried out several demonstration projects on the stabilization of renewable energy output using the redox flow battery system. This paper describes the advantages of the redox flow battery and reviews the demonstration projects.

Key words: redox flow battery, energy storage, renewable energy, smart grid, wind turbine, photovoltaics