In recent years, the key principles of the electric power industry have radically changed and the number of studies on the development of devices for electrical energy storage in a different form such as mechanical or chemical energy has rapidly increased. This review gives a brief description of these devices. The attention is focused on redox flow batteries (RFBs), a promising type of energy storage devices capable of efficiently operating in distributed power grids, in order to eliminate the imbalance between the time-varying electricity production by ‘unconventional sources’ and electricity consumption. At the design level, RFBs combine the principles of fuel cells and chemical energy sources with solid electroactive materials: transitions between electrical and chemical forms of energy in these devices occur upon oxidation and reduction of redox-active electrolytes, which are stored in separate tanks and pumped into the electrode compartments of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) separated by a semi-permeable membrane. This approach ensures an important advantage of these devices over other types of chemical energy sources, that is, the possibility of independent scaling of the energy storage capacity and power characteristics of the system. This review provides a systematic description of the main types of RFBs and analysis of their fundamental benefits and drawbacks, which determine the prospects for practical applications of RFBs.

The bibliography includes 149 references.

近年来，电力行业的关键原理发生了根本性的变化，开发机械能或化学能等不同形式电能存储装置的研究数量迅速增加。本评论简要介绍了这些设备。注意力集中在氧化还原液流电池 (RFB) 上，这是一种很有前途的储能设备，能够在分布式电网中有效运行，以消除“非常规来源”随时间变化的电力生产与电力消耗之间的不平衡。在设计层面，RFB 将燃料电池和化学能源的原理与固体电活性材料相结合：这些装置中电能和化学形式之间的转换发生在氧化还原活性电解质的氧化和还原时，这些电解质储存在单独的罐中并泵入由半透膜隔开的膜电极组件 (MEA) 的电极室。这种方法确保了这些设备相对于其他类型的化学能源的重要优势，即系统的能量存储容量和功率特性的独立缩放的可能性。这篇综述系统地描述了 RFB 的主要类型并分析了它们的基本优点和缺点，这决定了 RFB 实际应用的前景。它们储存在单独的罐中并泵入由半透膜隔开的膜电极组件 (MEA) 的电极室。这种方法确保了这些设备相对于其他类型的化学能源的重要优势，即系统的能量存储容量和功率特性的独立缩放的可能性。这篇综述系统地描述了 RFB 的主要类型并分析了它们的基本优点和缺点，这决定了 RFB 实际应用的前景。它们储存在单独的罐中并泵入由半透膜隔开的膜电极组件 (MEA) 的电极室。这种方法确保了这些设备相对于其他类型的化学能源的重要优势，即系统的能量存储容量和功率特性的独立缩放的可能性。这篇综述系统地描述了 RFB 的主要类型并分析了它们的基本优点和缺点，这决定了 RFB 实际应用的前景。

参考书目包括 149 篇参考文献。