Several American businesses, including Forever Energy of Bellevue, Washington, have been vying for the Department of Energy's approval to manufacture the breakthrough batteries, but the US gave that battery technology to China.
Ten years ago, a group of engineers and scientists realized they were on to something significant when they gathered in a warehouse in Mukilteo, Washington. They gathered tables and chairs from various places, made room for experiments in the parking lot, and then set to work.
They were constructing a vanadium redox flow battery in accordance with a blueprint made by two dozen American experts working in a government lab. The batteries could be used for decades, were about the size of a refrigerator, and contained enough energy to run a house. The engineers saw people setting them down next to their air conditioners, mounting solar panels on them, and leading happy, independent lives.
"It was beyond promise," said Chris Howard, one of the engineers...