Dr. Tobias Janoschka
Jena Flow Batteries GmbH
Dr. Tobias Janoschka
About the Speaker
Dr. Janoschka graduated from Friedrich Schiller University with a diploma in chemistry, an M.Sc. in business administration, and a doctorate in the field of polymer batteries. He gained professional experience in Germany, Asia, and the USA. In 2013, he founded JenaBatteries GmbH, a pioneer in the field of organic flow batteries. His professional portfolio includes 30 scientific publications, awards, and numerous patents.
Abstract
From Milliwatts to Megawatts: Bringing an Organic Flow Battery Technology to Scale
How does a battery technology move from molecular design in the laboratory to large-scale energy storage in the field? This presentation explores the scale-up journey of an organic flow battery technology, based on TEMPO chemistry, from its scientific beginnings roughly a decade ago to systems in the MWh range today.
The story begun with the identification and development of suitable organic active materials and continued through the first laboratory prototypes, increasingly advanced demonstrators and the world’s first organic flow battery deployed in the field in 2019. From there, the technology progressed towards larger and more demanding applications reaching installations of up to 20 MWh in 2025.
At the heart of this journey is a key insight: successful battery innovation is not achieved by chemistry alone. Flow batteries store energy in liquid electrolytes held in external tanks and convert it in an electrochemical stack, enabling the independent scaling of energy and power. This unique architecture creates major opportunities for long-duration stationary storage (LDES), but it also makes scale-up a true multidisciplinary challenge. Promising molecules must be transformed into robust, reliable and economically viable systems that perform under real operating conditions.
In this context, the presentation highlights how the focus shifted during scale-up from electrochemical feasibility to system performance and from material selection to manufacturability. Selected examples will illustrate how scientific progress and practical implementation must come together to unlock commercial relevance.
It concludes with an outlook on the next phase of development and the role such systems can play in enabling resilient, safe and scalable energy storage for the energy transition.