Hopping on Artificial Intelligence Guided Develpment of Vanillin-based Flow Batteries - HOP-ON VanillaFlow

TThe Grand Challenge ahead is to transition from fossil-fuel dominated, centralized energy systems to regenerative, integrated multi-vector grids. This shift demands sustainable electrical energy storage solutions, encompassing the entire supply chain of raw materials, processes, and systems. True impact on the economy, society, and environment is achieved only if materials, processes, and products can be scaled to meet large-scale demands. This poses a significant challenge for mid- to long-term, systems-integrated energy storage, especially as the EU heavily relies on critical raw materials from politically unstable regions.

The Hop-on VanillaFlow project aims to extend the technological innovations of the EIC Pathfinder VanillaFlow project, which focuses on redox flow batteries (RFBs), by introducing regenerative fuel cells (RFCs). These RFCs combine fuel cell technology with RFB systems. The overarching goal of Hop-on VanillaFlow is to optimize operational conditions, improve cost-efficiency, and enhance overall effectiveness, all while prioritizing the use of safe and sustainable non-critical raw materials. Specifically, Hop-on VanillaFlow will leverage the AI-guided molecules developed in the VanillaFlow project to operate an organic RFC, with hydrogen as the fuel on the counter side. This approach opens up new applications and opportunities by modifying only a single component within the system, while maintaining the benefits of the original VanillaFlow innovations.