California plans to reach 100% clean energy by 2045 and is depending on flow battery technology to meet that goal. With 162 patent assets in flow battery technology over the last three decades, Sumitomo was the clear choice for California’s 2017 flow battery research project in San Diego to study the commercial viability of flow batteries for large-scale power grid management. Sumitomo is a Japanese company that has been the clear leader in flow battery technology with patents relating to innovative cell and stack configuration, membrane structure, and electrolytes. 

Now, California seems to be moving away from working with the big leaders in the flow battery space and towards a new up-and-comer. As part of a $20 million initiative in November 2020, the California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded four new projects to Invinity Energy Systems, the product of a merger between two vanadium flow battery pioneers, the UK-based RedT and US-based Avalon Battery in March 2020. The first project is scheduled to be installed in November 2021 at the Soboba Band of Cahuilla and Luiseño Indian Tribe fire station in Southern California, with the goal of providing emergency power in case of grid outages caused by wildfires.

Interestingly, Invinity does not currently have any U.S. patent assets, though that is likely to change as their technology is implemented and tested. Additionally, Invinity did not gain a competitive advantage when it was formed through the acquisition of Avalon by RedT. RedT only has 2 worldwide and 3 British patent assets but only one U.S. patent application that was filed in 2019. Avalon Battery only has 3 U.S. patent applications related to the electrode assembly of a flow battery filed from 2016-2020. It seems that Invinity is taking a page out of Elon Musk’s book and relying on trade secrets rather than patents to protect its technology.

California’s renewable energy storage initiative signals the state’s belief that long-duration energy storage through flow batteries is the key to achieving its clean energy goals. However, its chosen partner Invinity may be vulnerable due to lack of IP protection of its vanadium flow battery technology. 

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