Bristol surf pool to add vanadium flow batteries to green energy suite

The two VS3 vanadium flow batteries will help power the site and support the integration of EV charging. Image: The Wave.

The Wave, Bristol, the UK's first inshore surf installation, will benefit from two Invinity VS3 vanadium flow batteries provided by battery manufacturer Invinity Energy Systems.

The sale to site contractor Absolute Solar and Wind Limited (ASAW) forms part of an integrated solar photovoltaic (PV) and electric vehicle (EV) charging project at the inland surfing lake.

Invinity’s flow batteries will be connected with a solar PV site at the destination which has a capacity range of 0.4MWh to approximately 3MWp. The stored solar energy will cover the site's electricity demand and support the integration of electric vehicle (EV) charging.

Site preparation is underway, and the batteries are expected to be delivered later this year.

This marks Invinity’s second sale to ASAW following the installation of a flow battery system at the waste water treatment site that serves the city of Perth, for which ASAW is the principal contractor.

“From the word go, we said we would use 100% renewable energy – it would have been so wrong for us to be using fossil fuels to power our waves,” said The Wave founder Nick Hounsfield in a statement.

“Invinity’s business has at its core the belief that our vanadium flow batteries can massively accelerate decarbonising broad segments of the electric grid – from electricity producers through to the businesses they serve,” said Matt Harper, chief commercial officer and Invinity Energy Systems.