The main advantages of the vanadium redox battery are:
It can offer almost unlimited energy capacity simply by using larger electrolyte storage tanks.
It can be left completely discharged for long periods with no ill effects.
If the electrolytes are accidentally mixed, the battery suffers no permanent damage.
A single state of charge between the two electrolytes avoids the capacity degradation due to a single cell in non-flow batteries.
The electrolyte is aqueous and inherently safe and non-flammable.[15]
The generation 3 formulation using a mixed acid solution developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory operates at a high temperature allowing for passive cooling.
The main disadvantages with vanadium redox technology are a relatively poor energy-to-volume ratio, although the Generation 3 formulation has doubled the energy density [16] of the system complexity in comparison with standard storage batteries, and the aqueous electrolyte makes the battery heavy and therefore only useful for stationary applications.
So, larger plants needing more space for the higher electrolyte volumes and weight and thus not for individual homes like Powerwall2 or ZCell but ideal for micro-grids, commercial and industrial applications as you have noted, and ... (drum roll please )
The extremely large capacities possible from vanadium redox batteries make them well suited to use in large power storage applications such as helping to average out the production of highly variable generation sources such as wind or solar power, helping generators cope with large surges in demand or leveling out supply/demand at a transmission constrained region.
Sounds like something our South Australian cousins (and soon to be Victoria as well) might be interested in. Renewable power and storage, grid supplementation and stabilization, highly responsive battery chemistry to surge demand and climatic variation. Hope that helps.
Interesting times we are in. BC
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