Redflow lines up California order for its biggest battery installation to date

Australian battery maker Redflow looks to have secured a second order for a megawatt-scale energy storage system in the US, in this case for up to 6MWh of its zinc bromine flow batteries to help power a biomethane plant in California.

Redflow said on Wednesday that it had signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with SoCal Biomenthane to collaborate on the installation of a solar and 5.5-6MWh ZMB3 battery solution.

The proposed project comes off the back of Redflow’s milestone installation of its largest battery energy system yet – a 2MWh BESS at a microgrid powering a bioenergy facility, also in California and owned by Anaergia, SoCal Biomenthane’s parent company.

The Victor Valley SoCal battery is an interesting project for Redflow, should it go ahead – the plant is the state’s first wastewater treatment plant to inject renewable natural gas made from co-digested wastewater sludge and food waste into a utility pipeline.

Redflow said the solar and storage would be designed to lower the plant’s energy costs over the life of the system and reduce the carbon footprint of its industrial processes – and the hope is to have it all installed by 2023.

It would also give Redflow more of a foothold in the US industrial and commercial market and supersede the 2MWh Rialto Bioenergy Facility project as the largest-scale battery Redflow has installed yet, requiring the supply of up to 600 Generation 3 batteries.

“Our deployment for Anaergia’s Rialto Bioenergy Facility demonstrated that our zinc-flow battery energy storage solutions were ideal for meeting the needs of US commercial and industrial customers, as our batteries can thrive under tough conditions for extended durations,” said Redflow CEO Tim Harris.

“Having identified the US market as a key growth market for Redflow, it is terrific to see our profile in the US continuing to build.

“We are developing a track record of executing on projects in the US, where there is a strong underlying demand for energy storage to meet carbon footprint targets, including non-lithium solutions.

“This has supported our strong pipeline of multi megawatt hour opportunities continuing to grow. Redflow is uniquely placed to be at the forefront of energy storage as large commercial and industrial companies look to execute on their renewable energy strategies.”