Modeling and Operation of a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery for PV Applications

Energy storage has become an absolute necessity for the growth of renewable power systems today. Vanadium Redox Battery is rapidly gaining popularity in integrated hybrid renewable power systems due to its high life cycle count, modularity and flexible capacity. This paper puts forth an electrical model of a vanadium battery to study its operation while integrated with a standalone photovoltaic power source. The model includes evaluation of cell stack voltages and the state of charge of the storage capacity. A simple energy management strategy is included by modeling a charge controller to avoid any instances of overcharging/discharging. The solar panel is modeled using solar cells which act as the primary source to supply a purely resistive domestic load. The entire work is simulated in a Matlab/Simulink environment and the results investigated for constant and varying irradiation cases. The results obtained prove efficient operation of the battery as per requirements.