B a c kg r o u n d
Batteries
Seven Dutch hopefuls in battery technology The Dutch high-tech ecosystem has sprouted seven companies that are looking to improve lithium-ion battery technology, or market completely different battery designs. Paul van Gerven
T
he battery has entered a golden age. It has already been indispensable for a range of applications, but with the anticipated transition to electric driving and increasing adoption of renewable energy sources, the world is rushing to increase battery manufacturing capacity. For example, global lithium-ion cell manufacturing is expected to rise from 95.3 GWh per year in 2020 to 410.5 GWh per year in 2024, according to market research firm Globaldata. The world will also need better batteries. Researchers and companies are frantically trying to improve the lithium-ion cells or come up with alternative technology that’s better suited for particular applications. After all, buffering supply and demand in the electrical grid is a different ball game than getting an electric car to drive as far as possible on a single charge. The Netherlands plays no role in battery manufacturing. There are several companies, such as Cleantron, SuperB and Eleo, that assemble battery modules for niche applications. VDL Nedcar is considering automotive battery pack assembly as part of its efforts to replace the impending loss of the BMW business. But there’s no battery cell or A-to-Z battery manufacturing in the Netherlands. On the technology front, however, seven Dutch companies have emerged that have something to contribute. The applications they target are remarkably varied, ranging from materials and components to full-fledged batteries and manufacturing equipment. 14
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Battolyser
A spinoff from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Battolyser has developed, well, a battolyser. This device stores electricity like any battery, but it can also split water into hydrogen en oxygen when it’s fully charged. A simple combination of a regular battery and an electrolyzer could do the same, but the battolyser “does it better and at lower costs in situations where it really matters,” says its inventor, Fokko Mulder, professor at TU Delft’s Chemical Engineering department. The key is the ability to quickly react to electricity price fluctuations, which are expected to become more pronounced as more renewable energy sources are installed. While conventional electrolyzers can’t easily be turned on and off, the battolyser can instantly switch between hydrogen production and discharging the battery. So, when elecCredit: Holst Centre
Lionvolt’s 3D solidstate lithium-ion battery on foil.
tricity prices are low, the battolyser is put to work for producing (green) hydrogen, a valuable compound used in a range of (cleantech) applications. When prices are becoming too high, the device can not only discontinue hydrogen production, but it can actually start selling electricity by discharging the battery. Battolyser, headquartered in Schiedam, is backed by Koolen Industries, Proton Ventures and Delft Enterprises (which is part of TU Delft) and has been commissioned to install a device at Nuon’s Magnum power plant in Eemshaven.
Delft IMP
Batteries are just one application for the powder coating process developed at TU Delft and currently being commercialized by spinoff Delft Intensified Materials Production (Delft IMP). Coating cathode and anode materials enhances their durability, resulting
