Utility-scale and microgrid developers need an "adapter" to marry the intermittent renewables of today with the grid of old. Flux adds value to grid-connected systems and unlocks resilient off-grid systems. Flux deploys existing flow battery architectures containing its crafted chemistries that supercharge performance while being safe, scalable, and sustainable.
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Patrick Sullivan
Patrick Sullivan is co-founder and CEO of Flux XII. He earned his Ph.D. in materials chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he innovated organic materials for grid energy storage and produced kilograms for kilowatt prototyping. With a graduate certificate in energy analysis and policy and over a year and a half of professional entrepreneurial training, Sullivan hopes to ultimately spur development of a more equitable and sustainable economy.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
Utilities, governments, and corporations have promised aggressive emission reduction targets to curb the ongoing effects and future risks of climate change. However, as intermittent solar and wind resources replace dispatchable coal capacity, grid energy storage must also evolve to ensure an economical and resilient clean energy transition. Long-duration energy storage of eight to 100 hours discharge could enable rapid and deep penetration of renewable generation, yet no product currently exists at the scale and cost needed.
Technology Vision
Flux XII is commercializing the long-duration grid energy storage technology developed out of the founders’ lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Flux XII’s flow battery utilizes organic salts dissolved in benign water to store energy. At lab scale, this technology has demonstrated record overall performance for energy density, efficiency, and stability and is being prototyped in kilowatt systems. Flux XII has scaled the organic materials in one-ton industrial reactions and will ultimately produce them using secure U.S. commodity chemical supply chains. This innovation will enable safe and cost-effective long-duration energy storage at scale to meet grid capacity demand.
Potential for Impact
Flux XII’s long-duration energy storage technology will enable economical and reliable clean energy, spurring high penetration of solar and wind with time-shifting capability. Flux XII estimates that one terawatt of assets will save one gigaton of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually. In addition to providing grid-stabilizing capacity and ancillary services, this safe and energy-dense battery technology will support distributed energy growth with energy resilience and equity co-benefits. Meanwhile, the Flux XII organic active materials promote a more secure battery supply chain to build toward a sustainable global economy.