Under the framework agreement, solar storage will be accompanied by a “Gigafactory” manufacturing plant and an R&D institute for vanadium flow batteries. A godsend for the Chinese government, which wants to accelerate the installation of energy storage facilities on its soil.
Solar storage: 100 MW for 500 MWh/year
Robert Friedland, Chairman of VRB Energy, and Mianyan Huang, Managing Director, announced the signing of a framework agreement on Monday March 15.
The project in question is an integrated power plant with 100 MW of photovoltaic solar energy and 100 MW for 500 MWh of vanadium flow batteries in Xiangyang, Hubei province.
The contract also calls for the creation of a new “Gigafactory” with an annual capacity of 1,000 MW. VRB Energy will be responsible for building the first 50 MW/year production unit.
At the same time, a research and development institute for intelligent energy from vanadium flux batteries will be set up.
An economic and environmental opportunity
“Currently, energy storage remains a major challenge for the mass adoption of renewable energies. We’re extremely proud to be leading the way in creating cutting-edge solutions at VRB,” says Robert Friedland.
Mianyan Huang points out that Hubei province boasts rich mineral resources, outstanding industrial advantages and an excellent business environment.
“This is a unique opportunity for the development of the vanadium flux battery industry. We welcome the government’s plans to support the development of a vanadium energy storage industry cluster,” comments Mianyan Huang.
VRB Energy’s 100 MW project in Hubei is one of a growing number of 100 MW flow battery projects. This is part of the national policy of energy storage and accelerated investment to support post-Covid economic growth.
In addition, the provinces of Xinjiang and Shandong now require the installation of a minimum of 5-20% energy storage as part of solar and wind power development.
After China, the company said it was in talks with numerous developers in the USA, Australia and South Africa for 100 MW PV+VRB projects.
