has also been proposed . Specific energy and energy density VRBs achieve a specific energy of about 20 Wh/kg (72 kJ/kg) of electrolyte. Precipitation inhibitors can increase the density to about 35 Wh/kg (126 kJ/kg), with higher densities possible by controlling the electrolyte temperature. The specific energy is low compared to other rechargeable battery types (e.g., lead–acid, 30–40 Wh/kg (108–144 kJ/kg); and lithium ion, 80–200 Wh/kg (288–720 kJ/kg)). Precipitation inhibitors can elevate VRBs to match lead-acid batteries. Applications VRFB's large potential capacity may be best-suited to buffer the irregular output of utility-scale wind and solar systems. Their reduced self-discharge makes them potentially appropriate in applications that require long-term energy storage with little maintenance—as in military equipment, such as the sensor components of the GATOR mine system. They feature rapid response times well suited to uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications, where they can replace lead–acid batteries or diesel generators. Fast response time is also beneficial for frequency regulation. These capabilities make VRBF's an effective "all-in-one" solution for microgrids, frequency regulation and load shifting. Largest vanadium grid batteries Companies funding or developing vanadium redox batteries Companies include Sumitomo Electric Industries,, CellCube (Enerox), UniEnergy Technologies, StorEn Technologies, Largo Energy and Ashlawn Energy in the United States; H2 in South Korea; Renewable Energy Dynamics Technology, Invinity Energy and VoltStorage in Europe; Prudent Energy in China; Australian Vanadium in Australia; EverFlow Energy JV SABIC SCHMID Group in Saudi Arabia and Bushveld Minerals in South Africa. See also List of battery types Polysulfide bromide battery Electric battery Fuel cell Energy storage Citations General and cited references Presentation paper from the IEEE summer 2001 conference UNSW Site on Vanadium batteries Report by World Energy World Map Of Global Vanadium Deposits Vanadium geology is fairly unusual compared to a base metals ore body. External links The U.S. made a breakthrough battery discovery — then gave the technology to China The U.S. made a breakthrough battery discovery — then gave the technology to China VRFB developments at UNSW VRB at everything2 The Need for Vanadium Redox Energy Storage in Wind Turbine Generators—Net electricity generation from all forms of renewable energies in America increased by over 15% between 2005 and 2009 redT and Avalon have merged as Invinity Energy Systems, a global leader in Vanadium Flow Batteries Flow batteries Grid energy storage Vanadium