In a major leap forward for clean energy innovation, Singapore-based VFlowTech has partnered with the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), the industry arm of IIT Delhi, to extract high-purity vanadium from refinery waste. The goal? Build India’s first circular vanadium ecosystem — and power the next generation of long-duration batteries.
The focus of the partnership is petcoke cinder, a low-value byproduct from India’s refining sector that, until now, has been mostly considered industrial waste. Turns out, it’s rich in vanadium — a key ingredient in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), which are gaining attention as the go-to solution for large-scale, long-duration energy storage.
“This is about more than just batteries,” said Dr. Avishek Kumar, CEO of VFlowTech. “We’re building a local supply chain out of something we used to throw away. It hits two goals at once: energy security and industrial sustainability.”
With $20 million in fresh Series A+ funding, VFlowTech is banking on homegrown R&D to create a Made-in-India value chain for vanadium-based energy storage. Their flagship product, the PowerCube, is designed for grid-scale storage with impressive durability, thermal tolerance, and energy efficiency — and it doesn’t blink at Indian summer heat.
The collaboration also supports India’s 2030 target of 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity, part of the country’s climate pledge under the Panchamrit framework. As one of the world’s top oil refiners but also a major vanadium importer, India sits in a paradox. This initiative could flip that on its head by turning refinery waste into domestic battery material.
IIT Delhi’s Professor Anil Verma called it a “transformative move” that not only strengthens the clean energy ecosystem but also tackles a crucial supply chain gap. With the global market for VRFBs projected to grow at 20–25% CAGR through 2030, India seems ready to grab a bigger slice of the action — this time, with its ingredients.
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