LEAPLUG™ Sulfur-based Flow Battery Energy Storage System
Overview
LEAPLUG™ is the world’s first commercial aqueous sulfur-based flow battery, eliminating fire risk at half the cost of Li-ion. Installed at a Shenzhen EV charging station (saving 70% electricity costs) and a solar-powered smart farm in HK (enabling zero-carbon operations). It’s competitive in energy storage applications for renewable power regulation, data center back-up power source, EV charging support etc.
Technical name of innovation
Aqueous sulfur-based flow battery
Problem addressed
Safe and low-cost energy storage is the bottleneck for net-zero electricity. Conventional Li-ion batteries have flaming risks, and nonflammable vanadium flow batteries cost 2-3 times higher than Li-ion. LEAPLUG™ flow battery system stores electricity in sulfur, an earth-abundant and heavy-metal free material, dissolved in nonflammable aqueous electrolyte, providing safe and eco-friendly energy storage solutions in extremely low cost.
Innovation
- The world's first commercial aqueous sulfur-based flow battery. Installed at an EV charging station in Shenzhen (saving 70% electricity costs) and a solar-powered smart farm in Hong Kong (enabling zero-carbon operations), demonstrating versatile clean energy solutions.
- Charge Reinforced Ion-Selective (CRIS) Membrane: block crossover contamination of sulfur active materials, enhancing the lifespan of battery to over 15 years.
- Molecular Catalysts: maintaining battery energy efficiency over 80% across wide temperature range from 0 to 50°C.
Key impact
- Low Cost & Energy Security: Leverages earth-abundant sulfur to reduce dependency on scarce resources like lithium and vanadium. This lowers system costs, mitigates geopolitical risks, and strengthens energy security by using locally available materials.
- Inherent Safety: Non-flammable, low-corrosive aqueous electrolyte minimizes fire hazards and supports eco-friendly performance.
- Ultra-Long Lifetime: The flow battery achieves over 10,000 cycles，—equivalent to approximately 15 years of continuous operation.
- Eco-friendly: heavy-metal free, easy to be recycled.
Award
- 16th International Invention Fair in the Middle East (IIFME)-Special Prize Awarded by UNESCO and Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury.
- 4th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions Hong Kong - Gold Award
- StartUs Insights 20 Flow Battery Startups to Watch (2025)
- ADNOC Sulfur Innovation Challenge 2024 - World's top 3
- National Disruptive Technology Innovation Competition 2025-Merit award
- Hong Kong Engineering Science and Technology Award 2023
- Xplorer Prize (2021)
- TERA-Award Smart Energy Innovation Competition 2021 Bronze
Application
- Generation-side energy storage, including renewable energy integration.
- Grid-side energy storage, including grid stability and reliability, peak shaving and load shifting.
- User-side energy storage, including electric vehicle (EV) charging support, industrial and commercial applications, residential applications, backup power for data centres and hospitals etc.
Patent
- US11552324B2/CN114171766B
- US11515572B2/CN113300004A
- US11177476B2
- US11784341B2
- US12206144
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Founded in 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a forward-looking comprehensive research university with a global vision and a mission to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West. CUHK teachers and students hail from all around the world. Four Nobel laureates are associated with the university, and it is the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong with recipients of the Nobel Prize, Turing Award, Fields Medal and Veblen Prize sitting as faculty in residence. CUHK graduates are connected worldwide through an extensive alumni network. CUHK undertakes a wide range of research programmes in many subject areas, and strives to provide scope for all academic staff to undertake consultancy and collaborative projects with industry.
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