Redflow lands biggest order yet, 20MWh flow battery for Native American microgrid

Australian battery maker Redflow will supply one of the largest zinc-based energy storage projects in the world, as part of a solar microgrid that will power a sovereign Native American nation in Northern California.

The Brisbane-based company says a 20MWh energy storage system using its flow batteries has been approved for use in the Paskenta Racheria Microgrid Project, which will pair the storage with 5MW of solar.

As well as being one of the biggest deployments of this type of technology in the world, the California Energy Commission-funded project will also be the company’s largest single sale and deployment of its batteries, yet.

It is, for example, 10 times bigger than the 2MWh system Redflow previously installed in California for food waste processor Anaergia, which has been operational for more than 12 months.

For this project, Redflow will supply, install and assist with the commissioning and maintenance of 2,000 ZBM3 batteries in 200kWh modular energy pods. Shipping of the pods is set for late 2023, early 2024.

Faraday Microgrids, a California developer behind a number of previously CEC grant-funded microgrid projects, is the grant recipient and project lead, and will purchase the battery system from Redflow.

Redflow CEO Tim Harris says that the battery system for the microgrid is being designed to charge from solar and discharge throughout the day, reducing grid demand and boosting the energy security of the Paskenta Racheria.

Faraday CEO David Bliss says Redflow batteries were selected for the “important” project for their resiliency, operational performance, and safety.

“Redflow’s zinc-bromine flow battery technology will support the sustainability, reliability, and energy self-sufficiency goals of both the State of California and the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians,” Bliss said.

For Redflow, Harris says the 20MWh project marks the start of the next phase of the company’s growth strategy, which has had a focus on large-scale, long duration energy storage systems in the US and Australia.

In the US, this has been boosted by a number of federal and state policies, including California’s $US140 million long-duration energy storage grant program, which supplied the funding for this particular microgrid.

With funding approval for this project under its belt, Redflow will now join a small number of proven non-lithium storage providers for with whom the CEC is working to assist commercialisation and large-scale validation.

“The market for long-duration energy storage solutions is rapidly accelerating, and this Project will firmly establish Redflow’s presence in California, which is leading the development and support of non-lithium technologies to achieve its net-zero goals,” Harris said.

“This Project serves as a great example of US-Australian collaboration in renewable energy and supports the aims of the recent Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact,” he added.