CHICAGO – March 22, 2023 – Battery Council International (BCI) is excited to announce the formation of a new Flow Battery Industry Group among existing and new association members.
Scott Childers, Vice President of Essential Power at Stryten Energy will chair the group. In addition to Stryten Energy, the founding members of the industry group include CleanTech Strategies, CMBlu Energy, Invinity Energy Systems, and others.
In making the announcement, Childers said, “BCI has demonstrated the power of the organization to help battery manufacturers expand and improve our industry. We are looking forward to working with other BCI members to advance flow battery manufacturing in North America to help meet America’s energy needs.”
The concept for the group grew out of public-private partnership discussions between a U.S. national lab, BCI, and an energy storage industry company. Membership in the industry group’s activities will be open to flow battery developers and manufacturers, component suppliers, users, government and academic experts, and other stakeholders. Additional companies are anticipated to join in the coming months.
Roger Miksad, BCI executive vice president said, “We are excited to see what this new industry group will achieve and look forward to the contributions it will make to the industry and our nation’s energy security and diversity.”
Flow batteries store energy in electrolytes and provide easy-to-scale technology at a low cost. They are environmentally stable, recyclable and have a low carbon footprint. Flow batteries are an important technology to provide long-duration energy storage and on-demand energy.
The formation of the new Flow Battery Industry Group comes at a time when battery manufacturers are investing in new and emerging technologies within BCI’s core application focus areas. Flow batteries are a natural fit with BCI’s existing member services given several key similarities and synergies between flow battery manufacturing and incumbent battery manufacturing technologies.
The industry group’s initial mandate is to bring together flow battery manufacturers and suppliers to develop approaches to address key common issues facing the industry, including testing, safety and industry statistics. The group will also bring together manufacturers and suppliers to develop strategies to strengthen and grow the North American supply chains for flow battery manufacturers. In addition to the formation of the industry group, BCI is also pleased to announce that the group will host several flow battery-specific sessions at the BCI Convention and Power Mart Expo, April 23-26 in Louisville, Kentucky. Suppliers to the flow battery industry are encouraged to exhibit in the Power Mart Expo, and other interested stakeholders are strongly encouraged to join the conference.
About Battery Council International
Battery Council International (BCI) will soon celebrate its 100-year anniversary as the leading trade association of the North American battery industry representing more than 125 member companies. Formed in 1924, BCI brings together battery manufacturers and recyclers, marketers and retailers, suppliers of raw materials and equipment, and battery distributors from across North America and around the world. BCI members are committed to responsible manufacturing and recycling processes, and serve as a unified voice for environmental, health and safety stewardship. The organization continues to unite members within the lead industry to successfully communicate and protect through education, science, and government efforts the most successful circular economy on the planet. With 99% of used lead batteries collected and recycled in the U.S. and the typical new lead battery containing 80% or more of recycled content, BCI supports the path toward similar sustainability goals for all other battery chemistries.
