Comparing UWCAES and VRFB for Energy Storage Based on Characteristics

Abstract

Energy storage technology has always been an important direction of modern industrial development. As a relatively new energy storage technology, UWCAES and VRFB have been studied and discussed respectively on their roles and characteristics, but there are few studies on the comparison of their technical characteristics. Therefore, by introducing the operation principle of UWCAES and VRFB, and comparing their application characteristics respectively, this thesis summarizes and compares the performance of these two energy storage technologies in terms of availability and reliability, facility configuration and location choices, and sustainable development. It is found that both UWCAES and VRFB have high efficiency. Due to their characteristics that are less restricted by geology and adjustable facilities, UWCAES and VRFB are highly applicable. UWCAES has achieved sustainability goals by replacing nonrenewable sources with greener energy and VRFB has enabled the use of recyclable and low-degradation materials to achieve sustainable and long-lasting uses. But both technologies are still in the development stage and have their problems to solve, such as the placement and tightness of tanks in UWCAES and the low energy density of VRFB.