The United Kingdom is betting on fireproof batteries to become a green superpower.
As China amasses gigawatt-hours and Saudi Arabia builds massive storage facilities in the desert, the UK has just completed the delivery of a different kind of battery. Smaller, but fireproof, and manufactured in Scotland.
In Uckfield, East Sussex, British company Invinity Energy Systems completed the delivery of 90 batteries for the Copwood VFB Energy Hub on Tuesday, May 12. Totaling 20.7 megawatt-hours of storage capacity, coupled with a small 3-megawatt solar power plant. Once operational later this year, the installation will become Europe’s largest vanadium flow battery. Don’t know what that is? We’ll explain everything!
If we talk about energy storage, theoretically you should think of lithium-ion batteries. And that’s because this technology represents 99.33% of the global battery market in 2026, according to Fortune Business Insights. It powers our phones, electric vehicles, and most large-scale storage facilities on the planet.
The vanadium flow battery operates on a radically different principle. Instead of solid cells, it uses two large tanks filled with a water-based vanadium liquid. The energy is stored in the chemistry of this liquid that circulates between the tanks. The result: no risk of thermal runaway, no possibility of fire, and a lifespan measured in decades rather than years.
[Fact Check: Moss Landing, California experienced an incident in January 2025 where one of the largest sites in the world had to be evacuated due to a fire incident.]
[Context: The Vanadium flow battery technology was developed as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to its safety and potential for long-term energy storage.]
[table] Projet Pays Capacité Statut – Masdar / EWEC EAU 19 000 MWh En construction (2027) – BYD Saudi Arabia Phase 3 Arabie Saoudite 12 500 MWh En construction – Oasis de Atacama Chili 11 000 MWh En construction – Edwards & Sanborn États-Unis 3 287 MWh Opérationnel – Moss Landing États-Unis 3 000 MWh Opérationnel – Waratah Super Battery Australie 1 680 MWh En construction – Copwood VFB Hub Royaume-Uni 20,7 MWh Mise en service 2026
Comparing these installations is like comparing a sprinter to a marathon runner: it’s not the same race. Lithium-ion mega batteries store a lot, but over short periods, typically two to four hours. Vanadium aims for long-term storage, those famous eight to twelve hours that allow solar energy produced during the day to be used in the evening.
[Context: Invinity’s Copwood VFB Energy Hub is a significant step towards the UK’s goal of becoming a green superpower by utilizing innovative energy storage technologies.]
[Fact Check: The UK has become the leading European market for battery storage, valued at an estimated $2.49 billion in 2026.]
[Context: Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator, is expected to announce decisions soon on its long-duration storage support program, which aims to encourage investments in large-scale energy storage projects.]
[Fact Check: The National Wealth Fund, a British sovereign fund, is a key investor in Invinity, contributing to projects like the Copwood VFB Hub.]
[Context: The UK’s focus on the vanadium flow battery technology is partially driven by strategic concerns over material dependency on China for lithium-ion batteries.]
[Fact Check: The International Renewable Energy Agency predicts a 50% decrease in installation costs for storage technologies by 2030.]
[Context: Invinity and London are banking on the long-term benefits and security of vanadium flow batteries to justify higher costs compared to lithium-ion batteries.]
[Fact Check: The Copwood VFB Energy Hub serves as a practical demonstration of vanadium flow battery technology at a commercial scale, showcasing its functionality on the British grid.]
[Context: The UK’s investment in vanadium flow batteries aims to reduce dependence on imported natural gas and strengthen energy security, aligning with its net-zero and energy security policies.]
[Fact Check: Invinity’s success in the UK market and the economic viability of vanadium flow batteries against lithium-ion batteries will determine the future success of this technology and the company.]
[Context: The UK’s industrial strategy includes supporting the development and manufacturing of innovative energy storage solutions like the vanadium flow battery.]
[Context: The geopolitical implications of adopting vanadium flow battery technology include reducing reliance on Chinese battery manufacturers and diversifying critical material supply chains.]
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