Photo-assisted Flow Battery Charging

Abstract

The rapid increase in renewable energy in our electrical grid has driven the need for energy storage systems to mitigate the effects of intermittent renewable sources. The coupling of renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics with batteries can lead to space and efficiency losses due to the interconnection of the two systems through wiring. A potential method for conjoining solar energy generation with energy storage is through a technology known as solar flow batteries. These batteries utilize dye-sensitized solar cells to aid in the charging process of the battery. In this project a methodology for fabricating working photoanodes for usage in a solar flow battery is laid out in detail. Photoanodes are fabricated and tested through polarization testing and SEM imaging to determine the electrical and surface properties respectively. Photoanode samples with a maximum power output of ~0.1 mW/cm2 are shown but also demonstrate highly unideal solar cell performance through fill factor values ranging from 30-40%. Further work is then laid out on avenues to explore in detail to address the low performance values of photoanodes fabricated through the process detailed.