Storen Technology’s Vanadium Flow battery prototype

A North Queensland based vanadium resource has met the standard to supply a new battery technology.

Brisbane-based Multicom Resources Limited (Multicom) is developing a Vanadium resource near Julia Creek in the state’s north west.

Multicom and New York-based StorEn Technologies (StorEn) have announced that Multicom’s vanadium has been verified for use in StorEn proprietary Vanadium Flow Batteries (VFB’s).

Vanadium pentoxide has been produced in a trial as part of Multicom’s feasibility studies at its St Elmo site.

The chemical process produced an independently verified +99% vanadium pentoxide product with negligible deleterious elements, Multicom Resources executive director Shaun McCarthy said.

“We are very pleased to have achieved these important milestones with the StorEn team,” Mr McCarthy said.

“The Australian market is well suited for the deployment of StorEn’s low cost, long life vanadium battery technology, supported by a large number of households utilising solar power and strong bipartisan government support for the battery storage industry”.

Verification of the vanadium was critical to the progression of the partnership between both companies, established in November 2017, and the formal milestone would now enable StorEn to prepare and ship the first of three VFB’s to Multicom, Mr McCarthy said.

Delivery of the first battery is scheduled for arrival in Australia during April 2019.

The batteries are StorEn’s residential 5kW/30kWh modules embedding the company’s proprietary innovation.

“The delivery of StorEn VFB’s to Multicom is another crucial step towards the creation of the business alliance we envisaged and upon commencement of our partnership,” said StorEn Technologies Co-Founder, Carlo Brovero.