Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Flow batteries: Overview

Batteries that store energy in tanks of liquid, sized by the hour

What this tile covers Batteries that keep their energy in liquid electrolytes in tanks, so capacity scales with tank size. Share of use <.01% share of world stored energy (2024)

Share of the world's stored energy (energy capacity held, TWh, latest year 2019 to 2026) across the forms with figures, about 22,551 TWh; fuel stocks dominate. Battery and other stores count capacity, not state of charge China had 189 vanadium flow projects totalling about 24 GWh at end 2024 (Chinese Journal of Power Sources, 2026), but this includes projects under construction and planned, so operating capacity is lower; the rest of the world adds little. Upper bound. Source: Current situation and outlook of China's vanadium redox flow battery market, Chinese Journal of Power Sources.

Key facts

DurationHours to days

Included from the reference tables

  • Vanadium redox
  • Zinc-bromine
  • Iron flow
  • Organic flow

Linked to the material world

V VanadiumZn ZincBr Bromine

Also in Electrochemical

LFP Lithium iron phosphate batteriesNMC Nickel-rich lithium-ion batteriesSSB Next-generation lithium batteriesNa+ Sodium-ion batteriesPbA Lead-acid batteriesNiB Nickel-based batteriesNaS High-temperature batteriesFeAir Metal-air batteriesZn Other and primary batteries

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