Batteries International, Issue 118. Winter 2020/21 by hamptonhalls

Issue 118

Winter 2020/2021

Vehicle-to-grid power Energy storage finds a new market niche Don Gribble: the life and times of a publishing legend

Fire, fire! A grim six months of lithium-fuelled EV recalls

TES S Hydropower and batteries? Randy Hanschu: sad farewells WA C I T A marriage of contradictions to The Man from Daramic RC A HE T N AI T N SA M Bringing the industry together TEA : RD www.batteriesinternational.com O W ST A EL TH

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CONTENTS COVER STORY: V2G 42 The V2G revolution: the nexus of power,consumer and grid

The electrification of transport has an unusual side benefit, the availability of a potentially huge well of energy storage to be tapped when needed. Analysts are saying vehicle-to-grid technology is going to be a huge market. Moreover, this sector should be a thriving and active one within five years

Case study

OVO Energy — project Sciurus

EDITORIAL 3 Losing the lithium battle

LEAD ANALYSIS

Wood Mackenzie’s Farid Ahmed looks at the price of lead this quarter

PEOPLE NEWS

Randy Hanschu July 24,1952 – January 3, 2021 • Microporous appoints new CEO as Jean-Luc Koch steps down • James Stewart joins MAC Engineering • Digatron’s Nick Hennen joins Inbatec as global vice president • Tammy Stankey joins ILA board • Project update: Lead battery industry sponsored Bali Children’s Project • Battery Council International committee appoints Peng as vice chair • Bosch battery CEO Reinhardt Peper joins the advisory board for IQ International • LS Energy takes on Fludder, Lin from NEC Energy Solutions • New Evergy CEO David Campbell start in January • Solaredge sees in the new year with two appointments • CBI promotes Niamh Owen-McLaughlin • East Penn wins Most Valuable Supplier for sixth consecutive year

Randy Hanschu: a special man now passed on, 1952-2021

NEWS 20 Batek Makina takes over Bertola • California DTSC issues writ to recover Vernon clean-up costs following October report • GS Yuasa to extend partnership to create UK local energy centres • Chinese battery-making region forced to close because of new Covid-19 surge • Battery industry bodies react to milestone in EU new regulation • UK to bring forward ban on sales of new ICE vehicles by 10 years • Independent law firm clears Monbat group of irregular waste handling • Residents’ anger over decision to overturn block on lead smelter • Canadus combines solar power with reconditioning • BMS to lengthen battery life • Ultracaps ‘now compete head on’ with lead and lithium batteries‚ says IDTechEx • Skeleton raises €41.3m in new bid to improve technology and replace alternative types of batteries

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Bill Gates-funded aqueous air battery start-up attracts another $70m • Lithium battery recycler closes undisclosed funding to develop and expand internationally • Highview breaks ground in UK plans to work on giga-scale cryogenic storage in Chile • Australia to get second mega battery from Tesla and Neoen • US DoE releases storage roadmap alongside Act that pledges $1bn • Bushveld deploys VRFB battery to power 10% of vanadium mining work • Singapore to deploy first floating energy storage system • CAISO approves second hybrid resource model to fill transmission system shortfalls • World’s largest battery officially begins operations at Moss Landing, California • UK to install one of the world’s biggest batteries • Lithium-ion battery price drops to lowest ever in 2020

PRODUCT PROFILE A look inside Farmer Mold’s Through the Wall Welder

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Stewart joins MAC Engineering 18

Daramic’s Schumann: celebrating 90 years of the firm’s existence 22

41 Farmer Mold: introducing a more flexible approach to welding 41

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 1

CONTENTS DON GRIBBLE: 1936-2020

The founding editor of Batteries International passed away in November. As a pioneer of electric vehicles he led the first, ultimately unsuccessful charge into the sector. But he left a legacy that extended to more than just the creator of this publication

FEATURES FIRE, FIRE! LI-ION BATTERIES UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN

2020 was a year of massive electric vehicle recalls. The reason? Problems around lithium batteries and their BMS. The recall of LG Chem’s home storage packs in December is yet another warning

2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?

Gribble: the man behind the publishing legend

Batteries International spoke to leading figures in the lead battery market for their personal and business take on the year gone by. Sometimes grim, sometimes positive reading

OPPORTUNITIES ON THE EMERALD ISLE

Ireland has managed to set a course for its growing energy storage market, but there are challenges that have to be navigated

MAKING A BIGGER SPLASH

Zhao Zhanjun: 2020 was a strong year for separator sales 64

Pumped hydro has been a long staple of the energy storage markets. A fresh look — using batteries — is offering unexpected benefits

BATTERY HERO: CAMILLE FAURE

85 Giant steps for energy storage on the Emerald Isle 72

The forgotten inventor who made the modern battery possible

EVENTS. All the latest details — and cancellations — of this season’s forthcoming events 88

THE LAST WORD

Hammond’s Secret Santa gets sledding • Coming soon to a car park near you • Going, going, gong • The ILA Secret That Dare Not Speak Its Name • Hold the front page! • Pandemic? hic! hic!

Publisher Karen Hampton karen@batteriesinternational.com +44 7792 852 337

Finance administrator Juanita Anderson juanita@batteriesinternational.com

Editor Michael Halls editor@batteriesinternational.com +44 7977 016 918

Subscriptions, enquiries subscriptions@batteriesinternational.com admin@batteriesinternational.com

Advertising director Jade Beevor jade@batteriesinternational.com Deputy editor Debbie Mason debbie@batteriesinternational.com

Secret Santa in the North Pole 95

International advertising representation advertising@batteriesinternational.com

Researcher, journalist Hillary Christie hillary@batteriesinternational.com

The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. No unauthorized translation or reproduction is permitted. ISSN 1462-6322

Production/design Antony Parselle, aparselledesign@me.com

Disclaimer: Although we believe in the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this magazine, Mustard Seed Publishing makes no warranties or representation about this. Nor should anything contained within it should be construed as constituting an offer to buy or sell securities, or constitute advice in relation to the buying or selling of investments.

2 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

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EDITORIAL Mike Halls • editor@batteriesinternational.com

Losing the lithium battle So is any lead battery manufacturer earning money — good money that is — on their lithium product lines?

profitable and most are not profitable whatsoever at all?

Few, if any, we hear. Anecdotal evidence may not be the best guide to the health of an industry, but that’s what people are saying.

CATL is the largest lithium ion battery vendor and OEM, by far. It has huge scales of economy in its manufacturing operations and raw material buying power that no other lithium battery manufacturer can match. Its management has ramped up its production capacity to an extraordinary degree and profits continue to be ploughed back into further expansion.

There are also more solid indications that this could be the case. A glance through GS Yuasa’s 2019 annual report would suggest that healthy profits are elusive for its lithium ion business. Between 2018 and 2019, revenues increased by ¥10 billion ($92 million); however, operating income only increased by ¥700 million and then to a dismal ¥1 billion in total. To put it bluntly, that’s a terrible result. So why has this happened? The answer would appear to be that Yuasa is being hammered from two directions — it is being squeezed by challenges with supply issues, while at the same time it’s facing relentless competition. There’s a wider dimension than this. It’s not just the lead battery industry that’s hurting. This is going to be a regional problem too — with Asia largely unaffected and the US and Europe deeply challenged. Despite fancy talk — albeit very welcome talk — from the new US president Joe Biden about battery storage being part of a new focus of the US economy, the battle for market share and profits is, in our view, already lost. America was quick to the lithium game but, with the exception of Tesla and its Panasonic connection, never truly got to grips with the manufacturing side of the business. If the US was quick, Europe wasn’t even in the game. The latest generation of lumbering European Commission bureaucrats are planning detailed legislation to govern a market that will never truly exist. Already Asia manufactures some 90% of the world’s lithium cells and batteries. Stable door? Horse bolted? The reason for these regional failures is simple. It’s scale. Some of the Asian firms have a scale that is enormous. Consider the case of just one Chinese firm, CATL. Why, at just 10 years old, is it so much more profitable manufacturing lithium batteries when no other vendor in the industry is anywhere near as www.batteriesinternational.com

At the end of December, the firm announced it would pump some 39 billion yuan ($6 billion) into capacity expansion projects in Yibin, Sichuan province and Liyang, Jiangsu province, as well as a new lithium ion battery manufacturing base in Fuding, Fujian province. As Batteries International went to press the firm was talking about a further investment of 29 billion yuan ($4.5 billion). It is the gorilla in the room that sells to other battery companies at a price that discourages them to make their own investment in lithium battery capacity. This isn’t uncompetitive, it’s simply the way it is. It further discourages investment by constantly fine-tuning its manufacturing and taking costs out. Its experience in the past 10 years of its existence is matchless — budding competitors don’t stand a chance. So CATL’s huge head-start in lithium battery production makes all the hot air of gigafactories in Europe sound like nonsense. Ignoring the trumpeting sounds of the European Commission’s bureaucrats and their bleats of a green economy and lithium gigafactories, the fact is that the European Union has, by virtue of its lumbering inertia, entered the party too late. One of the early laws of internet success — first mover advantage — has been ignored by the politicians and rule-makers in Brussels. While they may have been lunching in some of the finest restaurants in Europe, firms such as CATL have shown initiative, vision and commitment. Given that it takes around five years to set up a greenfield battery plant — and that Asia already provides some 90% of lithium cell manufacture — Europe’s battle for business was lost before even the troops could be rallied. And although lead battery manufacturers will continue to supply lithium products to their customers they will always be at a competitive disadvantage. Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 3

LEAD PRICE ANALYSIS

Secondary lead oversupply to weaken price WoodMackenzie lead analyst Farid Ahmed looks at the near-term fortunes of the lead price Last year was a wild ride. We’re now a few weeks into the New Year — a good time to cast our gaze forwards and consider what 2021 might hold in store. Sure, 2020 was ravaged by the coronavirus, but also made a strong recovery. Will that scenario just roll on into this year, or might we see more turbulence ahead? As governments endeavour to limit the human and financial damage from the pandemic, we’re optimistic the rollout of vaccination programmes will bring the worst effects under control — albeit with some flare-ups and disruption along the way. At Wood Mackenzie, we forecast a 4.6% rebound in lead consumption this year after the -3.9% dip in 2020. Mine production will be insufficient to stave off contraction in primary (virgin) lead production. But this will be more than offset by secondary (recycled) output booming due to reduced supply chain disruption and better availability of scrap lead batteries. This will create a refined lead oversupply and downward pressure on the lead price — which we forecast to be slightly up on last year but still well short of the annual averages of the recent past. The incoming US president has announced a stimulus plan that hopes to lead on battery technology and clean energy. The Democrats’ control of Congress bodes well for success in accelerating this green energy transition. Core to these aspirations are EVs and renewable energy. Similarly, the 14th Chinese Five-Year Plan will soon present more detail on their strategy for EV targets and the expansion of renewable power generation. Governments around the world are setting ambitious targets for removing internal combustion engine vehicles and achieving zero-emissions economies. Batteries will be central to this transition. While lithium-ion is the favoured battery technology to power EVs, al-

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If the remainder of this winter is unexceptional, then the industry will just about get by. But a spike in demand could quickly precipitate severe tightness and surging prices as limited lead stocks rapidly dwindle. most all EVs still also use auxiliary lead batteries, although with less lead per battery compared with a regular ICE equivalent. As such, the speed at which government policies translate into momentum for increased sales of EVs and battery demand for energy storage systems will be a key factor in 2021.

There is still downside risk.

The massive cost of supporting economies during the pandemic will have reduced governments’ abilities to finance the critical infrastructure needed to make EVs commonplace, or for major wind and solar power installations. Further risk exists from the personal economic hardships endured through the pandemic, overlaid with the relatively high cost of EVs. This may limit

consumer purchases of EVs but could also push them towards ICE cars with more lead in their batteries. Equally, the higher relative initial capital cost of Li-ion batteries in increasingly price-sensitive markets could see lead gaining an increased share of new ESS deployments, setting the tone for future expansion. That needs the lead battery industry to really get its act together — or someone else will eat our lunch! Much will depend on the appetite and success of the new US administration and Chinese Five-Year Plan to transition ambitions into reality. In turn, much of that will depend on the depth and duration of this new wave of lockdowns. Battery makers have struggled to build inventory ahead of the seasonal winter demand peak. Since Q2 2020, they’ve played catch-up to the urgent need for replacement batteries, as owners tried to restart their cars postlockdown. The high level of premature battery replacements last year meant a higher proportion of vehicles with fresh batteries going into this winter. This suggests fewer battery failures during the cold season than would normally be expected, easing pressure on battery manufacturers. But this isn’t happening yet. Lead smelters report full order books with battery makers until at least late Q1 2021. Automotive battery demand is delicately balanced, with the outcome much dependent on the weather in the latter part of winter. If the severe conditions forecast for Europe and North America materialize, it could have equally severe impacts on the lead industry. Another surge would stretch supply. Not only are inventories running low, but the industry would be unwilling to rebuild stocks late in the season at a point when it normally transitions to quieter times in spring and summer. To make matters worse, refined lead availability has also been an issue as the scrap supply chain became locked up in lockdown. Ongoing Covid restrictions across Europe and North America will again restrict the collection of scrap to resupply smelters desperate for feed. If the remainder of this winter is unexceptional, then the industry will just about get by. But a spike in demand could quickly precipitate severe tightness and surging prices as limited lead stocks rapidly dwindle.

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 5

PEOPLE NEWS

Microporous appoints new CEO as Jean-Luc Koch steps down Microporous announced John Reeves had been hired as CEO on December 8 in a sudden move in which Jean Luc Koch, who has headed up the firm since it became independent in 2013, resigned with immediate effect, reportedly for personal reasons. “The company said: “John brings years of experience to the company in a range of industries, including engineered materials, chemicals and construction products. “Additionally, John has more than a dozen years of executive leadership experience at private equityowned businesses, driving growth in revenue and enterprise value.” Reeves’s background is material science, with a bachelor’s degree in textile and industrial engineering. Much of his career has been with material science, working for Lincoln Industries in coated fabrics, and the German life science firm Hoechst Celanese on a variety of polyesters. Out of a joint venture with Hoechst and the BBA Group in 1997, Reeves grew AQF Technologies, a filtration media start-up, into a dominant gas-phase filtration technology industry. By 2000 the business was expanding at a 35% annual growth rate with Reeves at the helm as CEO and president. BBA retained Reeves in various VP posts to lead the strategy for the development of the firm as vice president of engineered materials. It was when he joined building materials firm IPS as president of Structural Adhesives in 2008 that he was first introduced to private equity. “This was in high-end adhesives and in 10 years the company grew by about 850%,” he told Batteries

John Reeves

International. “Some 60% was organic, 40% was acquisitions. So I’m a technology material science kind of guy that’s fortunately figured out how to do that well for private equity-sponsored businesses. “When this opportunity with Microporous came along — with a lot of the raw materials and processes similar to what I’m used to — it seemed a good fit.” Reeves admits that there’s a lot of learning to do with regard to the lead-acid battery business, but “the notion of developing innovative products and driving a business by pleasing customers and offering them materials that can help

Bryan Allen

Microporous has also appointed Bryan Allen as director of sales for North America, in early November. Allen previously worked as a senior director of sales for Leoch Battery. Before that he spent nine years with Exide Technologies, initially as a business development

6 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

move their business forward is similar to what I’ve done in the past,” he says. “I’ve only been here a few weeks and it’s interesting how our customers are willing to work with us on different projects. It’s a very collaborative industry, which I’ve found delightful. There’s a determination in the industry to combat challenges and a desire to offer higher quality, longer life products.” As far as the future for Microporous goes, Reeves says it’s too early to say. “We have the ability to grow in lots of different ways,” he says. “Our sponsors have been very dedicated to Microporous and spent a tremendous amount of capital investing in the business.”

Claudia Lorenzini, vice president sales and marketing, thanked outgoing Jean Luc Koch and said he had built Microporous into what it is today. “Our company has thrived since its re-emergence as an independent company seven years ago and has been investing heavily in equipment, processes and people to assure that it is well positioned to continue to support our customers and our industry,” she said. “We are excited about the future and are extremely confident that John will have the same level of enthusiasm to help Microporous’ customers to achieve continued success and grow our business together.”

“Our company has ... been investing heavily in equipment, processes and people to assure it is well positioned to continue to support our customers and our industry” — Claudia Lorenzini manager and then as a manager for strategic/national accounts. His brief at Microporous is to contribute to the growth of the North American business and increase the company’s market share by opening up new accounts and promoting the sales of existing and new products. Allen says: “The introduction of different materials, for instance reducing the resistance and increase the charge acceptance opens up a world of opportunities for separators,” he said. “PSoC applications are driving a lot of the battery technology now — with

forklifts, for example, you want to be able to charge it up periodically throughout the day so it stays running and isn’t down sitting on a charger for four hours. “You can apply that mentality to the UPS market, where batteries are covering almost micro outages, little blips in electricity, so the battery has to be designed to take a small hit and then go back online and be charged periodically throughout the day. It’s the same with the renewable energy market. Allen will report to Claudia Lorenzini, vice president of sales and marketing.

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OBITUARY

Randy Hanschu July 24,1952 – January 3, 2021

Hanschu was brought up on a farm outside Ramona, Kansas where he attended church from an early age. He later was to attribute his ethos of hard work and practical faith to his early years. It is with sadness that Batteries International has to announce that Randy Hanschu — known to almost two generations of US and international batterymen — died on January 3 in Kansas City. Hanschu, who worked in the battery industry for 40 years, is probably best remembered as The Man From Daramic. For some 30 years he tirelessly crossed and recrossed North America as its sales rep. He also represented the separator firm in South America and Europe. Hanschu was brought up on a farm outside Ramona, Kansas where he attended church from an early age. He later was to attribute his ethos of hard work and practical faith to his early years. In 1976 he joined General Battery Corporation as a quality control technician. Two years later he married the love of his life Jo Malone. In May 1987 General Battery Corporation was acquired by Exide

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Technologies and the following year he left Exide to join WR Grace — which later was to become Daramic — in a sales position, eventually becoming a senior technical sales manager. Although he formally retired, aged 66, in 2018 he continued to help the firm when and as needed, until recently. Hal Hawk, owner of Crown Battery, said: “When you look at the job description for Supplier Rep, you need to go to Randy, he wrote it, he lived it. Customer First, always! Additionally, he was the only Supplier Rep that could sign in, and immediately go to the plant floor, unescorted — the only one!

“That speaks volumes about him and the trust he earned. It wasn’t given, he earned it. “On the employee relation side, he was first class — he treated all of staff like they were management, and never saw him without a smile, never. At Daramic receptions, he was the face and gentlemen in front and behind all the planning, making sure everything and everyone was more than taken care of. “He will be more than missed, never replaced, and most certainly never forgotten.” One former colleague, Peggy Hicks, said: “I worked with Randy in Owensboro at WR Grace/Daramic for few years. He was such a kind soul. He always had a smile and was friendly to all of us in the office. His personality was joyous and he always had a story to tell.” Another former Daramic colleague, Mark Sherwood, said: “Randy was a class act both professionally and personally. He was an inspiration to so many in his professional world with his positive attitude and willingness to help.” Randy Hart, chief executive of Superior Battery, speaking as both a customer and a friend, said: “Randy was a person that you really enjoyed being around. He was our sales representative for many years and we had a good many visits together. He was a professional in his work but more than that you knew he was your friend. “I always looked forward to his visits and I knew he valued our business, but even more our friendship.” A family friend said: “Randy was always on the go — he had a hard time sitting and relaxing. He truly loved his family, friends, battery customers, gardening, small machine repairs, the Kansas City Chiefs, and John Deere tractors. He loved cooking, barbecuing, gardening, and tinkering in his shop. His granddaughter, Ryleigh, was the light of his eyes, they shared many work projects and dance performances. A celebration of his life and was held on January 11. He is survived by Jo, his wife of 42 years, his daughter Kacie and granddaughter, Ryleigh.

“Randy was a person that you really enjoyed being around. He was our sales representative for many years and we had a good many visits together. He was a professional in his work but more than that you knew he was your friend.” Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 7

PEOPLE NEWS

Exide veteran Jimmy Stewart moves to high profile slot at MAC Engineering

Doug Bornas (l), CEO of MAC Engineering and Jim Stewart

Jimmy Stewart, the Exide veteran who joined the battery firm fresh from high school in the mid-70s and rose to become a senior director for global equipment, facility and tooling engineering, has joined MAC Engineering as vice president of sales and marketing. He started in January. Stewart has an experience almost second to none in understanding how battery

manufacturing works. This is quite literally from the early production steps such as grid casting through to formation — he was the first person in Exide to come up with the then novel and patented idea of linking control of the rectifier from mechanical timers and computerization — and then out of the door to consumers. “We’ve been looking for someone like him for some

time,” says Doug Bornas, president at MAC. “We recognized that as part of a new business model we needed to have in-depth plant production experience — that’s a very specialized knowledge — from an industry expert. And for that to be represented by someone our industry has a lot of respect for. And that’s what Jimmy has in abundance. “As soon as I knew that he was leaving Exide af-

Stewart’s rise from a technical assistant on an assembly line to a senior director at Exide has been a meteoric one. The next phase of his career at MAC Engineering could be as exciting as his first. 8 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

ter its latest restructuring I leapt at the opportunity of hiring him.” Stewart has in fact known MAC Engineering for some 35 years, having a strong relationship with Mike Tole, past president and part owner. He says he can even remember when Bornas first joined the firm. (It was 1997.) Stewart’s life in Exide started in August 1975 when his father, who worked at the Exide plant in Frankfort, Indiana, helped him get a job as an assembly line technical assistant. He had just left high school and admits that he had an insatiable interest in just “tinkering with things”. He had also had some practical experience, which allowed him to fit in immediately. “At the age of 15 I was working evenings and weekends as an apprentice in the maintenance department. Back in those days there were no work safety laws like we have today and I had my head and hands into 480 volt 3 phase electrical cabinets and maintained hydraulic presses. I look back today and say by the grace of God I didn’t electrocute myself!” It was a period of great change in battery manufacturing and Stewart, already aware of the new programmable logic controllers developed as Allen-Bradley PLC (later known as Rockwell Automation), managed to introduce the first system on a line in Frankfort. Initial management enthusiasm in the head office in Reading Pennsylvania was tempered with scepti-

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PEOPLE NEWS cism. “They just assumed that the manufacturing lines would need to break down with the previous air logic system,” says Stewart. “So when it didn’t they thought that something was wrong! They had a real fear of electronics.” Eventually, however, sense prevailed. Stewart was charged with introducing the system across all the Exide plants. His life as a travelling engineer had started. He reckons that from then on, or at least until Covid recently, he has spent around 75% of his time on the road or on a plane. His career was to rise with changes across the firm, which quickly realised his value. Early on, Exide had sent him to night school at Purdue University and this continued throughout his time. In his late 20s Exide sponsored him to obtain his first degree, a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. This was followed a decade later by his masters. As a key figure in orchestrating change at the individual plant level, his responsibilities increased with other changes in Exide. Specifically, it was its decision to source much of the work that had been done inside the firm to external companies. Although many of his duties were still being in charge of building and designing equipment it also meant that he was exposed to the latest manufacturing trends and — more importantly — evaluating them. In the late 1980s he managed a team of engineers charged with, among other things, setting up a factory in Hays, Kansas that would make sealed lead acid batteries following the joint venture Exide had made with Yuasa. “We started with a shell of a factory and left behind a fully working battery plant. Effectively we had to take

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the technology from Japan and adapt it to a US setting,” he recalls. “Because of government restrictions we had to build the equipment from scratch in the US.” This was to directly lead on to what he reckons has been some of the most interesting work in his career. Starting in the early 1990s, this consisted of setting up new battery factories from scratch. He was a key figure in designing and setting up two greenfield car battery plants in Russia worth around $180 million. Further work included another project from scratch in Uzbekistan, and work in Dubai, Canada, India and elsewhere. “I look back with pride and the greatest satisfaction on this part of my life and work,” he says. From 2000 his work was to support the integration of the GNB acquisition — sometimes dubbed an acquisition too far as it later drove the firm into Chapter 11 bankruptcy — into Exide’s business. As a side note to history, Stewart was part of the ini-

As a key figure in orchestrating change at the individual plant level, his responsibilities increased with other changes in Exide. tial team sent to value the GNB business. “We said the price was way over-valued, at the time,” he says. “But the next CEO saw this as a way of getting back into our previous industrial division (which had earlier been acquired by EnerSys) and our voices were over-ruled.” He is also a veteran of the multiple changes of chief executive at Exide. “I’ve worked for more CEOs than I’ve got fingers on my hands,” he says. He survived the culls that Exide made in the first two episodes of Chapter 11 bankruptcy but the latest re-organization — sometimes called Chapter 33 [3 x 11] by those in the industry — left him high and dry as the firm’s Americas operation was split from its European and Asian business. Stewart says he is now

looking forward to the next chapter of his life. “I’ve known MAC and its products for the past 35 years. I recognise their quality, expertise and how well they are made,” he says. “Part of my job will be to be responsible for communicating with customers in the US and Canada in relation to sales, service and support. “I’ll also support our global agents, Sorfin Yoshimura, and their customers throughout the rest of the world.” But he also sees his lifetime of design expertise adding to MAC’s value proposition. “MAC is a company that is continually seeking to advance its product range. I think we will have exciting times ahead as we move to lighter weight, higher quality batteries.”

Digatron’s Nick Hennen joins Inbatec as global vice president Nick Hennen joined Inbatec, the German battery formation manufacturer known for its acid recirculation, in December as global vice president for sales and business development. Hennen previously worked for Digatron Power Electronics for six years as a vice president of sales and latterly as vice president for the Americas and global business development. At Inbatec he will be responsible for overseeing sales and marketing activities globally for Inbatec and sister company

Kustan. In particular he will look to expand the activities of both companies in the Americas. He reports to Christian Papmahl, the managing director of Inbatec. Also part of his remit will be strategic planning and business development for the organization to expand opportunities both within and outside the battery space. At the start of 2020, Inbatec and Kustan joined forces to combine their individual areas of expertise. Together the two have already designed a combined

gel preparation and gel circulation process as a result of merging experience and bundling strengths.

Nick Hennen (l) with Inbatec head, Christian Papmahl

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 9

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PEOPLE NEWS

Project update: Lead battery industry sponsored Bali Children’s Project

The Bali charity that lead battery firms and conference delegates supported at the 2019 Asia Battery and Secondary Lead Conferences has been making huge progress in supporting children in the Indone-

sian island, it revealed in its recent newsletters. The Bali Children’s Project, run by the charismatic New Yorker Linda Venter, said five school and library projects had begun, a Food Relief Appeal had been

making more deliveries, its Banana School renovation project had been finished and a kindergarten begun construction. After opening our 22nd and 23rd Karmagawafunded schools in Bali, we ended the year on a high. Meanwhile, we continued work on other libraries and kindergartens in Bali,” says Venter. “We’ve also launched our next Community Donor Project, where we are asking supporters to contribute small amounts to help us reach our target. This time, it’s at Sembiran Library in the mountains of Balim. “There was more good news as 16 students were sponsored for school thanks to December’s new sponsors.” At ABC in Nusa Dua, the Children’s Project was one of three to receive a share

BCI Convention — it’s September and San Diego

BCI has confirmed that it has moved its regular late April Convention and Power Mart Expo, this year to have been held in Naples, Florida, to San Diego, California, and set a new date of September 22-25, 2021 for the meetings. In a special announcement on December 2, BCI said it was encouraging attendees to register when it goes live early next year.

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“Although we’ve adjusted to a new normal filled with virtual experiences in lieu of in-person events, social distancing and face masks, the desire to meet again inperson has been building,” the announcement says. “BCI recognizes the important role face-to-face interaction plays in our industry.” The North American lead battery industry will be

eager to make up for the forced cancellation of this year’s April event, which had been organized for Las Vegas and had to go online for the first time. In September the second major event of the year, the European Lead Battery Conference, had to follow suit, having originally been planned for Milan, the Italian city which initially bore the brunt of the virus. All over the world, conferences have been cancelled or held online this year and next. With the hope of at least three vaccinations being deployed as early as next week in the UK and other countries, event organizers and conference delegates will be hoping for a completely new scenario come 2021.

of the $40,000 raised by delegates at the conference in a ‘One-Minute Giveback’ appeal, where backpacks were filled with essential school items. The pandemic has halted tourism in its tracks — a major source of revenue to the island.

Battery Council International committee appoints Peng as vice chair

Shawn Peng, a senior director of research and development for C&D Technologies and Trojan Battery Company, was appointed vice chair for BCI’s Deep Cycle and EV Battery Committee at the end of October. Peng, who worked for Leoch Battery Corporation for 14 years, latterly as chairman and vice president of technology, before moving to Trojan in 2018, is an active member of various international committees already. He is a start-stop car battery committee key member for SAE International; a member of the IEEE PES Communications and Cybersecurity Committee; and a Working Group 2 and Working Group 3 member for the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 13

PEOPLE NEWS

Bosch battery CEO Reinhardt Peper joins the advisory board for IQ International Reinhardt Peper, former CEO of Bosch Battery Systems, has joined IQ International’s advisory board after retiring from Bosch in November, IQ announced on January 1.

Based in Detroit, US, Peper had headed up Bosch battery since 2013, having joined the company in 1984. Apart from a threeyear stint as CEO of Cobasys from 2009, Peper’s ca-

reer had been spent entirely with Bosch until now. Before retiring, he oversaw all company operations with regional responsibility for the Bosch energy storage business in North America,

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as well as being part of the Bosch electric power train and lithium battery development team. Peper’s experience in international business, new technology and as part of the powertrain development team were cited by IQ CEO Kevin Loman as reasons for the appointment. “This is an incredible addition of complementary skill to the diverse experience of the current advisory board members,” he said. “The vast and varied intellectual property pipeline of IQ International presents compelling change for the traditional lead-acid battery industry,” said Peper. “The vision and strategy to leverage the existing supply chain, commercialize recycling technologies and develop new technologies for application-specific and commercial economic constraints induced me to join the IQ advisory board.” In October IQ appointed two former Johnson Controls Power Solutions (now Clarios) battery experts to its full-time workforce. Ray Brown, appointed chief integration officer, and Dennis Brown, chief marketing officer, already had seats on IQ’s advisory board.

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14 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

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PEOPLE NEWS

Tammy Stankey joins ILA board Tammy Stankey, director of communications at The Doe Run Company and a well known and popular figure in the lead industry, was appointed to the board of The International Lead Association in November. As a board member, Stankey will be part of a larger group of industry involvement and guidance in the work of the ILA. The ILA provides its members with technical, scientific and communications support, and opportunities for experts to meet on issues of importance to the lead industry. The international work and initiatives of the ILA have grown enormously in the past few years as it has implemented a campaign to promote lead batteries as part of the energy storage solutions for a renewable future. Stankey can only reinforce this. She is already well known for her work as a member of the communications committee for BCI and has a long-standing

Tammy Stankey

involvement with the Consortium for Battery Innovation. previously known as the ALABC. “One of the great strengths of the ILA board is that we represent a diversity of views across the industry and we act as a sounding board for whole sections of the industry and also for ourselves,” she says. “We can offer an industry view and talking point about the issues that matter.” One industry observer says: “One of the areas of

ILA business that Stankey is likely to have most impact on is the ILA’s campaign on material stewardship — the duty of the lead industry to ensure that lead is used and recycled in a responsible way in terms of its impact on human health and the environment. “This is a traditional remit of the ILA but one that has grown in importance in the past two years.” Stankey says she is looking forward to being an intimate part of ILA thinking. “As a lead producer and

Court throws out case against Aqua Metals’ Clarke, Mould and Murphy The case against Aqua Metals and its three co-founders — Stephen Clarke, Selwyn Mould and Tom Murphy — was dismissed at the end of November in the court of judge Haywood Gilliam of the Northern District of California. The court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss, holding that the plaintiffs — Plymouth County Retirement Association and Denis Taillefer, and 1103371 Ontario Ltd — failed to plead any actionable material misstatements or scienter [knowingly committing a wrongdoing]. The plaintiffs brought this securities class action

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“on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired common stock of Aqua Metals” between May 19, 2016 and November 9, 2017, According to the court record, the plaintiffs had alleged that the company and three senior officials had ‘made materially false and misleading statements concerning the company’s novel recycling technology and its commercialization process’. In a second complaint, the plaintiffs had alleged that the company “failed to disclose the problems the company experienced in attempting to scale up its

technology for commercialization, misrepresented the commercialization timeline, misrepresented the production efficacy of its recycling program and related revenues, and issued misleading statements concealing the challenges of the new technology.” The plaintiffs had claimed that the company knew of ‘significant problems’ with its recycling technology, “which included issues related to scaling for commercialization, and misleadingly ‘stage’ investor and analyst visits to misrepresent the success of the company’s commercialization operations.”

lead battery recycler with customers across the globe, it’s important for my firm Doe Run to be part of international discussions that shape the future of the lead industry,” she says. But it’s also a personal buzz. “What’s most interesting to me — since I joined the industry with Doe Run — is the people. From the outside we’re not a glamorous set of people within in an industry that’s not exactly highly regarded. But we have an intelligent, friendly and inclusive body of people, happy to work together for the common aims of the business. That’s rare. “It’s fun and interesting to work in this industry — and especially to be part of the forces that will lead us on.” ILA, which supports the safe production, use and recycling of lead worldwide, consists of some 40 member companies involved in the mining, smelting, refining and recycling of lead globally. In rejecting the claims, the court said the plaintiffs had failed to adequately put forward their arguments, and that the alleged misstatements by Aqua Metals were protected as forwardlooking statements and therefore as statements of opinion were non-actionable and not false. The courts said that while Aqua Metals had claimed success in testing its technology, it had given no assurance that it would be able to replicate the process on a commercial scale. “The plaintiffs failed to adequately allege that such statements were false or misleading and were otherwise non-actionable statements of corporate optimism or puffery,” the court said.

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 15

PEOPLE NEWS

LS Energy takes on Fludder, Lin from NEC Energy Solutions Steve Fludder and Roger Lin have joined LS Energy, the former Energy Grid Tie division of Parker Hannifin now owned by Korean multi-billion-dollar group LS Group, from NEC Energy Solutions, the company announced on October 27. The appointments of Fludder as CEO and Lin as VP of marketing and strategy have been made four months after NEC Energy Solutions began to wind down operations, accord-

Steve Fludder

ing to Bloomberg, which in June said it had long been struggling to make a profit and had started an ‘orderly wind down’ in lieu of finding a buyer. Fludder, who resigned from the company in June, said at the time that the pandemic and its economic upheaval made finding a buyer for the company difficult. He had been made chairman at NEC three years ago, taking over from

Roger Lin

NEC’s chairman and temporary CEO Hiro Exawa in November 2017. Fludder’s career includes four years as chief marketing and sales officer with Samsung Engineering and CEO of Alpha-En Corporation, a New York-based clean energy firm. He has also worked in several of GE’s businesses across Asia over a 27-year term with the company, including five years as vice president and corporate officer. Roger Lin was head of Global Marketing, Strategy and Product with NEC, where he worked for six years. Before that he spent nine years with A123 Systems, which in 2014 was bought by Japanese giant NEC Corp and became NEC Energy Solutions. Lin is also on the board of the US Energy Storage Association.

New Evergy CEO David Campbell starts in January The US utility Evergy has appointed David Campbell as CEO and president effective January 4, the firm said on December 8. Outgoing Terry Bassham, who announced his retirement in August, remained in post until Campbell took over. Evergy is a fairly new company, having been formed in 2018 when local energy providers KCP&L and Westar Energy merged. It has about 1.6 million customers. Campbell has a lot of experience in the energy and utility sector, with 15 years in senior leadership posi-

tions. His most recent post was as executive vice president and CFO with Vistra Corporation, a multi-state power generator and provider headquartered in Texas with around 5 million customers. Before Vistra, Campbell was CEO of Luminant, a large power generator in Texas. Campbell joins Evergy four months after it announced its five-year Sustainability Transformation Plan, which aims to reduce costs for its customers with better grid reliability and security and accelerate the company’s transition

16 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

to clean energy. “I join Evergy with a shared drive and commitment to provide customers with clean, affordable, reliable and secure energy to power their lives, while driving sustainable, superior value for shareholders,” said Campbell.

Solaredge sees in the new year with two appointments

SehWoong Jeong

Israel-headquartered smart energy firm SolarEdge has hired SehWoong Jeong as CEO of its battery subsidiary Kokam, as well as appointing Yogev Barak as chief marketing officer of SolarEdge, the company said on December 23. Described by SolarEdge as an ‘industry veteran’, Jeong has joined the firm from Samsung Electronics, where he was appointed general manager and executive vice president for Automotive Batteries and ESS in 2014. He had worked for Samsung in various positions for two decades, after nine months at Motorola at the beginning of his career. In September Kokam launched a UPS battery system for mission-critical facilities. It makes batteries and energy storage systems for applications in sectors including aerospace, grid storage, industrial and electric vehicles. Yogev Barak has worked in international marketing and B2B product management for a quarter of a century, most recently at HP Indigo, where he was head of strategy, marketing, products and business management. He worked for HP Indigo for 14 years and before that spent 13 years in a variety of jobs with Applied Materials.

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PEOPLE NEWS

Exide Technologies Europe/Asia-Pacific officially a stand-alone business For the record in October Exide Technologies now stands alone as a European and Asia-Pacific firm, under new ownership but retaining Stefan Stübing as president, CEO and director. Joe Hinrichs, recently retired as president of Ford Motor Company’s global automotive business, has been appointed chairman of the board. The transaction involved separating the battery manufacturer from Exide Holdings, in the US, and transferring the entire business to a group of long-term shareholders under the new Energy Technologies Holdings — also in the US. “As part of this transaction, the business received further multi-million-dollar funding from the new investors,” a statement said. “Now, as a standalone,

we are more agile,” said Stübing. “It will allow us to react even faster to the wishes of our customers and requirements of the market. The new owners represent a group of Exide’s long-term noteholders and know us well, thereby demonstrating their continued commitment to our success.” Hinrichs said: “Together, we are confident in Exide’s capability to deliver consistent growth and profitability by bringing to market innovative energy storage technologies to benefit our customers.” The new Exide will be headquartered near Paris. Batteries International broke the news in June 2019 that Exide was selling its European business a year before it was officially announced.

Joe Hinrichs

The company had already been through two Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and ultimately the North American part could not survive a third, with the recycling site at Vernon a constant thorn in its side and then Covid-19 driving in the final nail. Now the European business is free to focus on its automotive and industrial energy storage technologies, with two R&D facilities and 11 production

CBI promotes Niamh Owen-McLaughlin

Niamh Owen-McLaughlin was promoted to communications and digital manager for the Consortium for Battery Innovation at the end of December. She was previously communications officer for the consortium when it was

restructured and rebranded from the previous ALABC in early 2019. The CBI is part of the International Lead Association where she started in 2013. In particular OwenMcLaughlin has been developing the CBI’s presence

18 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

in social media which has started to become an important forum for advancing CBI communications. “We have a story to tell about the significant role lead batteries are playing and will continue to play in the global transition to a low carbon future — social media is a fantastic forum to share this and generate a buzz around lead battery innovation,” she says. “CBI has been ramping up our efforts in this area to share the messages of innovation in lead batteries underway through our research programme and the work of our members. From short videos explaining scientific research to GIFs highlighting the role of lead batteries for energy storage, the content possibilities on social media are vast.”

plants in Europe. The company says it achieved a turnover of €1.4 billion ($1.65 billion) in the fiscal year for 2020.

East Penn wins Most Valuable Supplier for sixth consecutive year East Penn has won the Most Valuable Supplier award for 2020 from the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association for the sixth year in a row, as well as marking 45 years since joining the trade association. “We are extremely proud of both accomplishments,” said Doug Bouquard, general manager and VP of sales, motive division. “They are a testament to our partnership with MHEDA, our employees, our independently owned North American dealer network, and the customers we serve.” The award is handed out to companies that can demonstrate a commitment to business excellence in industry advocacy; distributor advocacy; business networking; continuing education; and best business practices. Based in Chicago, MHEDA has around 600 members from the material handling sector, and provides services to them through education, networking, benchmarking and information on best practices.

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NEWS

Batek Makina takes over Bertola

Batek Makina, the Turkish battery equipment manufacturer, signed the final take-over documents for its acquisition of Italian formation firm Bertola and its subsidiary Moran on January 14. “We had negotiated most of the deal about a year and a half ago,” says Celal Saricam, managing director and cofounder of Batek. “But the pandemic has delayed our earlier plans until now.” The immediate aim will be to ship Bertola equipment from its operations in Milan to Batek’s new plant in Dilovasi, Kocaeli. All existing users of Bertola and Moran equipment will be served by Batek from now on. Saricam says the formation side of the business should be ready to start in March. The acquisition of Bertola is a bold initiative by Batek in that the formation business is very different from other sectors of battery machine manufacturing. Only a couple of firms, such as Sovema, include formation equipment as part of their wider product offering. “One of our objectives through this was to invest in our core business in a distinct way that would basically ensure vertical growth while bringing some aspects of diversification,” Saricam told Batteries International. “Bertola definitely fits our agenda of investing in this fashion as the battery formation business typically is a separate branch of technology. “We hope to revitalize the legacy of Bertola — one of the best known names in the formation business— and the Moran brands,” he says. Bertola is one of the oldest firms in the battery charging equipment industry. Its formation business was founded in 1958 in Italy, where it developed several technologies that eclipsed others in the industry such as IGBT-based battery formation rectifiers.

20 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

“Our new state of the art plant is double the size of the previous one. Not only will it offer us vast capabilities in building more of our existing machinery — and possibly developing new machinery — but also motivates us to strive to continue to provide excellence”

Bertola is a family-owned business and one of the reasons for the sale was the difficulty of passing on the company to the next generation. A previous sale of the business fell through a couple of years ago. For the past year the firm has been winding itself down, but its key staff will be on hand to pass the business on smoothly. Bertola acquired Moran, another pioneer in the battery formation and testing equipment industry, in 2008. Saricam says the technologies incorporated by this acquisition will include battery formation systems for both automotive and industrial applications, battery testing systems and software development for battery charging. Saricam sees the acquisition in a larger fashion. “The pandemic has disrupted traditional supply chains and deglobalization is occurring,” he says. “Our ability to service another part of the battery manufacturing industry

Celal Saricam, managing director and co-founder of Batek can only be an asset in these troubled times. The new plant in the port town of Dilovasi — about 70 kilometres from Istanbul — is the third new manufacturing facility Batek Makina has had since it was founded in 2003. “Our new state of the art plant is double the size of the previous one,” says Saricam. “Not only will it offer us vast capabilities in building more of our existing machinery — and possibly developing new machinery — but it also motivates us to strive to continue to provide excellence. “For us, understanding the specific conditions and needs of battery manufacturers is a key to being able to deliver successful projects. “Despite megatrends in the industry that favour standardization of products and common procedures, the reality on the factory floor is that we need to build in design flexibility and offer a variety of production methods.”

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NEWS

California DTSC issues writ to recover Vernon clean-up costs following October report The California Department of Toxic Substances Control on December 14 filed a sweeping court action against major battery firms for the cost of the clean-up of the former Exide Technologies lead battery recycling site at Vernon. Clarios, Trojan Battery and Quemetco are among the defendants listed in the writ filed in the Central District of California district court, which claims reimbursement for the DTSC’s costs in investigating and cleaning up the costs involved in the contamination. It also calls on the defendants to complete the remaining work, most of which, it says, has been left ‘unremediated’. In May last year, Exide’s North American side of the business entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the third and final time, and the ensuing bankruptcy ruling effectively allowed Exide to walk away from any responsibility to close and clean the site. In July Atlas Holdings bought the North American business and set up two standalone companies — Stryten Manufacturing and Element Resources — to make and recycle lead batteries. Exide CEO Tim Vargo was appointed CEO of the new Stryten alongside Mike Judd, former president and COO of Exide. Element Resources was set up to own and operate recycling plants in Canon Hollow, Missouri and Muncie. A Stipulation and Order in 2014 had required Exide to provide financial assurance for its post-closure plan and undertake ‘extensive onsite corrective action’, as well as provide interim measures for residential off-site action. “Exide filed a bankruptcy petition on May 19, 2020, and the implementation of these measures, and of the off-site corrective action, has not been completed,” the court document says. Over the objections of state and local officials, Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Sontchi in Delaware approved a bankruptcy settlement on October 16 allowing Exide Technologies to abandon its former battery-recycling plant in Vernon, leaving the state and taxpayers on the hook to pay for continued environmental clean-up of the site.

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The writ says that Exide transferred the title of the Vernon Plant to the Exide Vernon Environmental Response Trust on October 26, 2020, which was required to continue implementing closure activities and corrective action — “but the trustee has insufficient resources to complete these actions”.

“DTSC’s estimates of per-property clean-up costs were inaccurate because it failed to account for predictable costs, such as inflation and payment of legally required prevailing wages” Other parties named on the document as responsible for contamination as previous owners in some way are NL Industries, Gould Electronics and JX Nippon Mining and Metals. Kinsbursky Brothers, Ramcar Batteries, International Metals Ekco and Blount, or their corporate predecessors, are named along with Clarios, Trojan and Quemetco as transporting ‘the majority of the hazardous substances that were disposed of or treated at the Vernon facility in the last approximately years of the facility’s operation’. “These parties share the responsibility for the contamination plaguing the thousands of people and families who live and work in the shadow of this site,” said DTSC director Meredith Williams. Separately, the DTSC responded on October 27 to a damning report by the state auditor on the management of the residential clean-up around the shuttered Exide Vernon lead battery recycling site. The State’s Poor Management of the Exide Clean-up Project Has Left Californians at Continued Risk of Lead Poisoning report, number 2020-107, makes a number of criticisms about the cleaning operation. These include the fact that despite early identification of 50 contaminated properties, including schools and childcare centres, after

five years 31 of them have still not been cleaned by the DTSC. “In fact, it has cleaned only one of these properties since May 2018,” says the report. “In addition, DTSC has been unable to maintain the clean-up pace it presented in its 2017 plan for cleaning the most contaminated properties. “As a result, it is significantly behind schedule and is unlikely to meet its goal to clean the 3,200 most contaminated properties by June 2021 — extending the time that residents in the clean-up site are exposed to dangerous levels of lead.” It says the DTSC has not set a timeline for cleaning an estimated 4,600 properties that still have dangerous levels of contamination. The cost, which has been left to the state to cover since Exide Technologies was sold off in July, has ballooned, the report says — and likely to be in the region of $650 million in total, far more than the $251 million that had already been provided to the DTSC by the state. “DTSC’s estimates of per-property clean-up costs were inaccurate because it failed to account for predictable costs, such as inflation and payment of legally required prevailing wages,” the report says. “Finally, DTSC has paid about $17 million more than it anticipated to clean 768 properties because it did not establish adequate protections in its agreement with its largest clean-up contractor.” In response, the DTSC said it was conducting clean-ups at a faster rate and with more stringent standards than other residential lead clean-ups across the nation. “To date, DTSC has cleaned up more than 2,000 properties with the highest levels of lead and is on pace to complete more than 90% of the clean-ups planned,” it said. The DTSC also pledged to implement all of the state auditor’s recommendations, including cleaning up childcare centres, parks and schools, deploying resources to the most contaminated properties and setting a deadline of April 2021 for identifying the date by which all works are completed.

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 21

PROFILE: DARAMIC CELEBRATES 90TH ANNIVERSARY

Welcoming the next The international battery separator firm is celebrating 90 years of its existence. Chad Schuchmann, Daramic President, looks back over the firm’s history and explains why its separators have been at the core of battery manufacturing innovation since 1930.

“We aim to be at the heart of this new energy revolution and remain a key figure in taking lead batteries to levels of performance similar to that now found in lithium” — Chad Schuchmann, President

Owensboro, Kentucky, 1930: history being made as ground is being broken on the first rubber separator plant in the world.

22 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

US Patent 1,745,657 awarded on February 4, 1930 might have seemed just another day in the convoluted workings of the US Patent Office. But it was to be a key date in the development of the battery industry. It was also to result in the creation of the international battery separator giant, Daramic. The reason is simple. Herman Beckmann, a German academic completing his research to become an associate professor at AFA in Berlin had formulated a better type of separator made of a microporous rubber. The idea itself wasn’t new. Talk about rubber as a battery separator dates back to a patent issued in 1904. But this was a separator recipe that worked. Two astute ex-US army businessmen —Bradley Dewey, a former colonel, and Charles Almy, an ex-lieutenant colonel — by all accounts had followed Beckmann’s work with interest. The two had founded specialist chemical firm Dewey & Almy just after the close of the first world war. To them a rubber separator was a clean step away from traditional ones that used such natural products such as cedar wood. The result was that late in 1930 Dewey & Almy broke ground on the first rubber separator plant in the world. One of the interesting facts of Daramic has been the emphasis on turning theory into practice. A quick look through the patent catalogues reveals that the firm — then still in its Dewey & Almy days — had patented ribbed separators as early as 1945. The firm Dewey & Almy was acquired by W. R. Grace & Co in 1954. And it was with Daramic — this new division in W. R. Grace — that the next leap forward in separator development happened: the invention of the polyethylene separator in 1969. By 1972 manufacturing had begun at the Owensboro plant of the firm in Kentucky. The breakthrough with the PE separator was as significant as that of the

rubber separator. It is constructed out of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, precipitated silica, and mineral oil which yields unique separator properties because of their high mechanical strength, stability in acid, and resistance to oxidation. The PE separator has, for the most part, become the material of choice in flooded lead-acid batteries. Not to be forgotten in Daramic and its forebears’ long history of innovation is the invention by W. R. Grace in the 1960s of the phenolic resin separator, also called Darak which is still in use today. Due to its high temperature stability, low electrical resistance, and very low acid displacement, Darak separators are suited for batteries with gelled electrolyte or in conventional flooded high performance batteries. Although Daramic had shipped its separators abroad from early on, it was only in the late 1970s Daramic looked to manufacture its separators abroad. In 1980 and 1981 it set up facilities in Norderstedt, Germany and Selestat, France. It was not long before the French and German operations’ output contributed more to sales figures than the original manufacturing units in the US. Daramic was to go through swift periods of change. The big change over the period was to unleash the company’s creative potential — not just for technical products but for commercial acumen. Perhaps the key to its success during this time was a far-sighted move into Asia. This started relatively quietly with the creation of a manufacturing plant in Prachinburi, Thailand and by the time Polypore and its Daramic division were sold in 2004, plans were already advanced to set up operations in Tianjin in China in 2006. The new owners, high-tech venture capital giant, Warburg Pincus, led the way further with a two pronged attack on Asia. The first was in customizing existing

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PROFILE: DARAMIC CELEBRATES 90TH ANNIVERSARY

generation of invention

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which has then diffused Effect of Carbon on Cycle Life and DCA into Europe and then into Asia. Now it’s the other way about — China and Asia are setting the direction in electric vehicles and electrification which is then diffusing into Europe and then to North America.” Drawing closer to 2022 CBI Goals in Cycle Life and DCA Interestingly develop- Clearly this is drawing closer to 2022 CBI goals in terms ment of a lot of Daramic’s of cycle life and DCA latest product range — think RickLife™, HiChEffect of special additive on water loss arge® and XCharge™ — is specific to Asian driving requirements and much of the development has come from its Asian research centre which has been relocated to Gujarat, India. These include a reversal of imposing the standard Combination of profile (RipTide C), carbon coating and additive exceeded 2022 CBI target in terms of PSoC cycling C™, carbon coating and addiwestern template on an In- A combination: RipTide dian battery. So, for exam- tive exceed 2022 CBI target in terms of PSoC cycling ple, one key product in this range known as DuraLWater Loss (WL) Estimation ife® followed the unusual pattern of being launched in the Asian market first and then two years later, in 2016, released worldwide. Schuchmann believes that in the automotive sector the use of enhanced flooded batteries will evenRipTide C + Carbon coating + Additive can achieve < 3 g/Ah water loss tually become the norm RipTide C™ + carbon coating + additive can achieve as start-stop cars become <3g/Ah water loss almost universally standard. Start-stop vehicles Summary make heavy demands on the battery life due to being charged and discharged while in a PSoC (partial state of charge). Daramic has looked at three particular areas in boosting the performance of PE separators: adjusting the separator profile; im- Putting it all together. Daramic is already beating some proving the separator for- CBI targets and is progressing to meet the rest mula; and, how additives, notably carbon, boost perto the J2801 life test — had been alformance. In a recent presentation the firm most achieved in the summer of 2020. Daramic has come a very long way in showed that the 2022 targets set by the Confederation for Battery Innova- its first 90 years of existence. If anytion in four different areas — cycle life thing the momentum for innovation when operating at a partial stage of has never been so high. It will be intercharge @17.5 depth of discharge; dy- esting to see where the firm has taken namic charge acceptance; reduced wa- separator technology to when it celeter loss; and grid corrosion according brates its first century. VW 17.5% Partial State of Charge (PSoC) Test (1)

VW DCA at 70% SOC

3.6

Standard SLI Riptide C RipTide C* Riptide C RipTide C*with withCarbon Carbonv1 v1 RipTide C*with withcarbon Carbonv2v2 Riptide C

2.2

2.8

2022 CBI Target: 2000 cycles

2.1

2.0

1.9

(1) (2)

Standard SLI Riptide RipTideCC* Riptide RipTideCC*with withCarbon Carbonv1 v1 RipTideCC*with withCarbon Carbonv2 v2 Riptide

3.2

DCA (A/Ah)

End (V) End of of Discharge Discharge Voltage Voltage(V)

2.3

2.4

2022 CBI Target: 2.0 A/Ah

2.0 1.6 1.2

1.8

0.8

End of Life

1.7

0.4

2018 CBI Target: 0.4 A/Ah

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200

Cycle

Time (sec)

Cycle life improvement by 2.6x

DCA improvement by 3.8x

1 - Average three cells 2 - after 510 PSoC Cycles * Daramic Proprietary Intellectual Property

VW 17.5% Partial State of Charge (PSoC) Test VW 17.5% PSoC Test

Rip Tide-C + Carbon V2 Rip Tide-C + Carbon V2+ Additive

2.3

End of Discharge Voltage (V)

2.4

2.2

2022 CBI Target : 2000 Cycles

2.1

Neg electrode after PSoC Cycling with RipTide C + Carbon separator

1.9

2050 cycles

1465 cycles

1.8

End of life

1.7 1.6

(1)data

200

400

600

800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200

Neg electrode after PSoC Cycling with same separator + Additive

Cycle (#)

based on 2 cells each

WL estimation using Constant Overcharge for 96 hrs

Battery Testing versus Cell Testing

Water Loss Estimation ( Const. Overcharge for 96 hrs)

Weight Loss (g/Ah) VW 42 days of overcharging test

30 25 20 15 10

4.5 4

3.5

Rip Tide C

2022 CBI target: 3g/Ah

2.5

Standard SLI

1.5

Rip Tide-C + Carbon V2

Rip Tide C + Carbon V1

5.5

5 0

Battery Testing Vs Cell Testing

Overcharing current

products to meet the specific needs of the Asian marketplace and environment. The second was in establishing operations in the heart of the continent. In 2007, another major step for Daramic was when Polypore with Daramic went public and listed on the New York Exchange. The next area of growth was India, Asia’s second largest market. In April 2008 Daramic acquired Super-Tech Battery Components Pvt in Bangalore. In India, its customer base was strong — it was a supplier to all major lead battery manufacturers in India. It also was a well known supplier to medium sized firms and a host of other small and medium sized battery manufacturers across India. For the last decade Daramic’s expansion into the Asian marketplace has proceeded at a steady pace. In 2011 it established a plant at Xiangyang, China. That year too Daramic India relocated to a new and larger facility in Bangalore, India. By the following year its expanded manufacturing line in Prachinburi, Thailand was operational. In 2015 the final change of ownership took place when Asahi Kasei, the Japanese chemical giant with some $20 billion annual sales, acquired Polypore International, the parent company to Daramic and its affiliates. “Since then it’d be fair to say that the pace of innovation has even speeded up,” says Chad Schuchmann, president of Daramic since last August and previously its chief operating officer. Schuchmann has been with Polypore and its subsidiaries since 2002. “You only have to look at our portfolio of patents — there’s well over 20 been granted since we became part of Asahi Kasei. Our approach to innovation is part of our DNA. “Keeping the world in motion is going to be the theme of the next 10 years while at the same time it is clear that the main trend is going to be greater electrification of everything as we move away from fossil fuels,” says Schuchmann. “We aim to be at the heart of this new energy revolution and remain a key figure in taking the lead battery to levels of performance similar to that now found in lithium. “There’s a new automotive world emerging. In the past battery development has mostly been driven by the US

Rip Tide-C + Carbon V2+ Additive

Rip Tide C + Carbon V2

Rip Tide C + Carbon V2 + Additive ( Estimated value)

Steady State Overcharging current (mA) Modified SAE-J537 overcharging test

 DARAMIC’s 2 V cell test results compared to CBI targets: Key Performance Indicators

CBI 2018

2019 (Daramic)

2020 (Daramic)

CBI 2022

PSoC Cycle life

1500

1600

2050

2000

DCA (A/Ah)

0.4

1.7

2.0

Water Loss (g/Ah)

4.25

Corrosion, J2801 (units)

tbd

 Daramic has provided improvements to Enhanced Flooded Batteries by: Modified Separator profile

Effect

Improvements on

- Negative Cross Ribs

Acid to negative plate

PSoC cycling

- Serrated Ribs

Prevent Active Mass Swelling

PSoC cycling, DCA

- Addition of Carbon

In contact where PbSO4 first forms

PSoC cycling, DCA (but: Issue water loss)

- All above + Addition of additive

Reduction of water loss

Potential to Reach 2022 CBI Targets

Modified Formula/Additives

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 23

NEWS

GS Yuasa to extend partnership to create UK local energy centres Japanese lead and lithium battery maker GS Yuasa said on November 19 that it and Infinite Renewables, a UK renewable energy firm, were launching a project with Albion Community Power to integrate Yuasa’s hybrid lead/lithium battery system with renewable wind and solar power sources. The so-called Generation Storage Consumption Supply project is being partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and will seek to integrate the systems in ‘local energy centres’ for various applications. In total seven of the centres will be built in industrial areas in various parts of Wales. The first is at GS Yuasa’s factory in Ebbw Vale, Wales, where 2,900 solar panels are to be installed to

provide around 5% of the factory’s power needs. The factory makes the lead-acid batteries for the hybrid installations, and the lithium batteries are shipped in from Japan. In June, Yuasa was hired

to provide a 100kW pilot hybrid battery at the port of Portsmouth on the south coast of England. The batteries will be connected to a rooftop solar array in an area of the port where 24-hour loading

needs continuous power. “The lead-acid battery provides the bulk of the energy storage capacity for cost-effective harvesting of renewable energy, and the lithium-ion battery provides high power discharge capability for EV fast charging,” said a spokesperson for Portsmouth International Port.

Chinese battery-making region forced to close due to new Covid-19 surge A new surge of coronavirus cases in the Chinese province of Hebei is having an impact on lead battery makers in the region, who stopped production between January 6-9, according to news outlets such as the Shanghai Metals Market and Reuters. The outbreak, in the provincial capital city of Shijiazhuang, has resulted in the lockdown of 11 million

people in a ‘state of wartime’ imposed on January 5. Since January 2, the province has reported 223 locally transmitted confirmed Covid-19 cases and 161 asymptomatic carriers. “It is understood that logistics and transport services have been seriously disrupted by the lockdown in Shijiazhuang,” says the SMM. “Some companies in the metals industry have

suspended production more than one month ahead of the Chinese New Year, closing their doors for an ‘early holiday’.” The Spring Festival does not begin until February 12 this year. “It is worth noting that Shijiazhuang borders Baoding and Xingtai,” says the SMM. “Baoding is a concentrated area of lead-acid battery makers and secondary lead smelters.”

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NEWS

New European research collaboration optimizes lead battery performance for micro-hybrid vehicles A new European research collaboration between two leading academic institutes — the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (Fraunhofer ISC) and Wrocław University of Science and Technology (WUST) — was announced by the Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) in mid-October. The two-year research project will explore the fundamental properties of carbon additives with focus on surface functional groups, and the effect they have on lead battery performance. Specifically, it will look at the impact on key performance indicators in lead batteries: • Cold cranking amperage: The high discharge pulse

power responsible for starting a car, rated at -18 °C for 30 seconds. • Dynamic charge acceptance: The ability of a battery to accept instantaneous energy during charging. • Hydrogen evolution reaction: The side reaction occurring on a negative electrode surface, which accelerates electrolyte loss. Studies of these three performance indicators will use screening techniques combined with tailor-made carbons to examine how carbon chemistry interacts with lead and other common additives. Carbons are a popular additive for enhancing bat-

tery performance, and this research project is building on existing research by using innovative techniques to conduct in-depth exploration of additive effects, according to the CBI, which has coordinated the partnership. This knowledge is essential for improving the DCA of lead batteries and increasing their uptake in start-stop, micro and mildhybrid applications, one of

the fastest growing automotive markets worldwide and a vital market for delivering cleaner mobility. Alistair Davidson, director of CBI, said: “Responding to market demand from the automotive sector, this new research project is building on collaborative workshops organized by the Consortium in partnership with OEMs and car companies over the last few years. “It’s one of a new set of exciting projects aiming to enhance the performance of lead batteries to meet the technical requirements of start-stop and micro-hybrid vehicles.”

“It’s one of a new set of exciting projects aiming to enhance the performance of lead batteries to meet the technical requirements of start-stop and micro-hybrid vehicles.”

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Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 25

NEWS

Battery industry bodies react to milestone in EU new regulation The most significant EU legislation on batteries since 2006 has been met largely with approval from the lead battery industry, which has welcomed the 158-page December 10 Batteries Regulation, even if some have warned of over regulation and complexity. EUROBAT said it was ‘a crucial piece of legislation that will define our industry for the next 15 years’, and ILA managing director Andy Bush said the association was pleased that the proposal — which should go in force in January 2022 — included a large focus on sustainability. Claude Chanson, general manager of the Advanced Rechargeable and Lithium Batteries Association (RECHARGE), said the legislative framework would close gaps in existing legislation and level the playing field with international actors. The proposal identified several reasons for the new directive, including the need for batteries to participate in Europe’s ‘clean energy transition’. It said the European Investment Bank would increase support for battery projects to more than €1 billion ($1.2 billion) within a year, and the World Economic Forum said battery production had to increase by a factor of nine to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions. To achieve this it was essential to address the lack of policy framework, incentives, efficiency in the single market, sub-optimal recycling processes and supply chain problems, the EU said, and this is what the proposal set out to do. The main points include recovering increasing

amounts of raw materials from all kinds of batteries; raising collection and recycling rates; providing detailed information on what each battery contains, including how much of the materials in each has been recovered; reducing the EU’s reliance on imports of materials; strengthening internal market processes and a circular economy with common rules for the single market; and reducing environmental impacts. The amount of recovered material identified will be increased each year.

ILA response

“Advanced lead batteries — which already supply more than 70% of rechargeable battery energy storage globally — will play an increasingly important role supporting a low carbon future, which is why welcome the ambition to both enhance Europe’s battery manufacturing capability and increase the amount of batteries recycled,” said Andy Bush. “Lead batteries are already the most recycled battery in Europe, with all batteries which are collected at the end of their life recycled in closed loop. “Currently, 80% of a new lead battery made in Europe is made up of recycled materials collected in Europe and of course we support thousands of jobs and supply many other key industries and services with products that deliver clean energy that is the key to the European Green Deal.”

“We do see certain areas that have the potential of hampering the innovation and development of our products and industry,” she says. “The specifics will have to be carefully defined in the next steps of the secondary legislative process. RECHARGE will play a constructive role in contributing to viable calculation methods for recycling efficiencies or recycled content as well as to standards and common specifications on the performance and durability of batteries, for example. “As regards the recycled content measure, we believe that a stepwise implementation of such measures is crucial and we welcome that this concern has been reflected in the proposal. “The burdens on industry to implement recycled content obligations at a time when volumes of available secondary raw materials are insufficient would have risked jeopardizing the competitiveness of European batteries. “Nonetheless it is questionable if such an obligation will still result in a better environmental performance. Studies have shown the environmental benefits of recycled content are very limited. Overall, implementing and controlling a recycled content obligation seems disproportionate when recycling efficiencies and recovery rates already exist. “Control, verification and enforcement are particular areas of attention

for us. On the latter, it is difficult to distinguish a recycled metal from a virgin material and auditing of non-EU secondary material supply chains will be very challenging.” The proposal also mentions the use of hazardous chemicals, in particular mercury and cadmium, and does not include lead — which in the past has been at risk of regulation by the REACH committee, a regulatory body affiliated to the European Chemicals Agency.

REACH context

In February 2019, the ILA and EUROBAT were able to delay attempts by REACH to add four lead compounds to its candidate list of chemicals which would require special authorization before being used — potentially causing a devastating impact on the European lead battery industry. “We are encouraged that the proposal properly recognizes that restriction of hazardous substances in batteries should only occur where an assessment risk to human health or the environment demonstrates it is not adequately controlled and moreover should also take into consideration an evaluation of socio-economics,” said Bush. “Streamlining this assessment with existing mechanisms in the REACH regulation is also welcomed and addresses our previous concerns regarding overlap and coherence between EU regulation.”

RECHARGE response

But the specifics in the proposal should be carefully laid out, says Pia Alina Lange, head of internal and external communications with RECHARGE.

26 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

“Lead batteries are already the most recycled battery in Europe, with all batteries which are collected at the end of their life recycled in closed loop.” www.batteriesinternational.com

NEWS EUROBAT response

“This proposal is an important milestone,” said EUROBAT president Marc Zöllner, also Hoppecke Batteries CEO. “All battery technologies and applications will be regulated by this new piece of legislation, stretching all the way from batteries in vehicles and forklift trucks to energy storage and telecommunications. European manufacturing must take a leadership role for a sustainable future, to which all battery technologies will contribute.” EUROBAT says the proposal aims to build the most environmentally sustainable energy storage solutions, but warns that to avoid ‘hindering innovation in a relatively new sector’, the regulation should not be too prescriptive. It cites standardizing battery packs, saying this ‘would go against high performance, energy-efficient battery products’. “We appreciate that in most cases the proposal looks at the specificities of each battery technology and applications when it comes to recycling efficiency, collection and information requirements,” EUROBAT said. “For instance, the proposal correctly recognizes that automotive and industrial batteries are collected at the end of their life, and rightly includes a continuation of the current no-losses policy in this regard.”

To achieve aims such as increasing battery production by enough to see a reduction in CO2 emissions, the EU says it is essential to address the lack of policy framework, incentives, efficiency within the single market, sub-optimal recycling processes and supply chain problems; and this is what its proposal sets out to achieve. While welcoming the European Commission’s proposal to promote ‘green batteries’ made in Europe by restricting access to non-sustainable batteries, the response says the scope of the proposed measures is too wide-ranging and deviates from the original intention, without due consideration of technical expertise. “It is unacceptable that the Commission wants to take the place of national technical experts on matters which are by mature extremely technical, and that refer to how the products are designed, produced and operated,” it says. “We therefore strongly suggest removing Article 16 in its entirety, and to allow national, European and international standardisation committees to do their work on standards development.” Another concern raised in the response is the lack of content in the proposal regarding recycling. “The Commission did not address any of the concerns that emerged during the stakeholders’ meeting, and correctly reported in the Impact Assessment,” it says. “For instance, there is no clarification on how the recycled content can be calculated and verified, above all for imported batteries, with the concrete risk of damaging the EU battery industry vis-à-vis international competitors.” It says the push for second-life applications is in direct contradiction with C

“It is unacceptable that the Commission wants to take the place of national technical experts on matters which by nature are exceptionally technical” high levels of recycled con- be the EU Parliament and tent in new batteries and Council, as well as the nathat the measure should tional ministries. In a few not apply to batteries months it will be time for across the board regardless amendments to the reguof their characteristics. lation from the European The battery association Parliament and Council, suggests policy makers which will be negotiated in streamline their adminis- what we call triologues. trative processes and cut “However, before that red tape, for instance by happens, the EP and the avoiding duplicating pro- Council need to develop cesses and simplifying its their own position to start labelling. the negotiations with the “We worked with the EU EU Commission, which prior to the publication of wants to have it done by their proposal,” said Gert the end of this year. Meylemans, communica“For us, and other reletions director with EURO- vant stakeholders, this is BAT. too ambitious. We would Final Ad.pdf PM mid-2022 at the very “Our next focus1 9/17/2019 in terms3:13:17say of EU policy makers will best.”

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Later concerns

However, EUROBAT on January 7 issued a further response saying that broadly the approach was good, but that there were concerns. The proposal, which EUROBAT does not believe will be implemented until the middle of 2022, was made for several reasons, not least of which is so that the battery industry can participate in Europe’s ‘clean energy transition’.

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Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 27

NEWS

UK to bring forward ban on sales of new ICE vehicles by 10 years The UK government on November 17 announced it was bringing forward a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 10 years as part of a 10-point ‘Green Plan’ to meet its zero emissions target by 2050. The move will mean a gradual phasing out of the traditional 12V automotive battery, however, a smaller lead battery will still be required for all electric and hybrid vehicles. The decision was made as part of Boris Johnson’s £12 billion ($15 billion) spending plans to ‘create and support up to 250,000 highly skilled green jobs in the UK’, the government says. Top of the 10-point list is quadrupling the amount of offshore wind power, to 40GW by 2030. The ban on sales of new ICE cars comes in at number four, where the government says it will be ‘transforming our national infrastructure to better support electric vehicles’. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, more than 2.3 million new cars were registered in 2019 in the UK, with just 28,000 of them pure battery electric vehicles. Of the 2.3 million, 1.3 million were petrol, 0.5 million diesel, and 0.6 million plug-in hybrids. This means there will have to be a huge shift in customer mindsets before the number of ICE vehicles is replaced with electric models. In the short term the policy will have little impact on lead battery makers, with a strong aftermarket and the remaining need for small lead batteries in all electric vehicles. “I don’t think this generation needs to worry about the UK car rule because it would take at least another 30 years for the petrol car

battery to be off the market — and electric vehicles also need lead acid batteries at the moment,” said CEO and president of Leoch Battery Dong Li. “It is a smaller battery, but the aftermarket will need a big battery supply for some years, some lead-acid battery EVs will expand their market, and with some new applications there is still at least another 30 or 40 years’ life cycle left. “However, while the news will discourage new investment, I don’t see a problem for existing investment.” Clarios, the world’s biggest lead battery maker, said it is focusing on start-stop applications. “Already today, more than 90% of all new vehicles are equipped with fuel-saving start-stop technology,” said Niklas Volke, specialist communications with Clarios EMEA. “Market trends show that this is the decisive technology both in original equipment and the aftermarket. Some 80% cent of new start-stop vehicles are equipped with an AGM or EFB from Clarios, and we

reckon that the share in the EU car park will nearly double between 2018 and 2023. “The Clarios lead-acid portfolio is also designed to support upcoming electric and driverless vehicles and will deliver an essential contribution to the energy demand of vehicles even in times of electrification. They support the system when the main battery is switched off or failing. “Today we are already supplying well-known global players in the field of electromobility with our 12V batteries.” Geoffrey May, director of Focus Consulting, said the UK policy had been badly thought out. “It’s headline grabbing for the green agenda but seems to lack proper consultation with industry, the public and all the various stakeholders,” he said. “The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation is an important objective and needs to go hand in hand with reductions in the carbon intensity of electricity generation, which was partially addressed in today’s an-

nouncement. “The automotive industry is worldwide in organization and highly integrated in Europe. It would be much better for the UK to remain aligned with EU rules for vehicle emissions and set standards that allow the motor industry to work together. “Clearly increased automobile electrification has an impact on the lead battery industry but there is a continuing need for batteries to power 12V systems as auxiliary batteries for safety and security and there is a huge market for replacement batteries, which has to be satisfied long after vehicles have gone into service. “Lead batteries are preferred for auxiliary applications because they are safer, have proven reliability and are cheaper.” According to the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists, the UK contributed 1% (0.34 giga tonnes) of global CO2 in 2018, 17th in the world rankings behind China in first place with 28% (10.06GT) and the US second, with 15% (5.41GT). The only European country in the top 10 was Germany, contributing 2% (0.75GT).

Independent law firm clears Monbat group of irregular waste handling Bulgarian and eastern European battery and recycling group Monbat announced in September that it had been cleared of mishandling hazardous waste by law firm Wolff Theiss. It also said the results of the independent review showed it had operated in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The statement was made in response to an investigation in May into whether Monbat CEO Atanas Bobokov, his brother Plamen Bobokov and Bulgaria’s deputy environment minis-

28 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

ter Krassimir Zhikov were involved with a crime group that mismanaged product waste, including lead waste. The two brothers and Zhikov were detained for 24 hours and in June, Atanas Bobokov resigned from his post, although remaining as chairman of the board. Wolff Theiss was appointed the same day ‘to conduct an independent audit into the matters related to the ecological aspects of the company’s activity and compliance with Bulgarian and European legislations’. The firm said there was no irregularity with de-

clared quantities of waste, and that “incoming and outgoing flows were only in relation to materials and waste related to its production and no illegal import/export was made”. “Processing of RDF waste (household waste) is incompatible with Monbat’s technological capabilities and Monbat Recycling has never been engaged in this segment of waste management,” the firm said. Wolff Theiss said all documentary processes that had been carried out were appropriate.

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PROFILE: CONSORTIUM FOR BATTERY INNOVATION The CBI has come a long way in the past two years. Batteries International interviewed the consortium’s director, Alistair Davidson, about its achievements so far.

Breaking the mould The Consortium for Battery Innovation hit the ground running when it was officially set up two years ago in February 2019. A stream of energetic initiatives and demanding performance targets were rolled out and the first harvest of that energy is now on display. Some of CBI’s success to date has been measurable, performance targets being met ahead of time, for example. But it is also making ground in the articulation of a clear message — advanced lead batteries will be a major feature in the energy storage universe of the future. The emphasis, as before in its previous incarnation as the ALABC (Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium), is on pre-competitive research. Driving the programme under way at CBI is a technical roadmap, elaborated in 2019, which set out research goals based on commercial logic — what advances in lead battery technology will be needed in the future? Dynamic charge acceptance (DCA), for example, is a performance enhancement crucial for the growing micro-hybrid market, where stopstart cars could represent more than 80% of European car sales by 2030. CBI’s specific 2022 targets, set out two years ago, were aggressive to say the least. Automotive batteries were to achieve a cycle life of 2,000 times while at a partial state of charge for enhanced flooded batteries; DCA was to improve five times to 2.00A/Ahr; there would be a water loss figure of under 3g/Ahr; and grid corrosion according to J2801 units of 18.

CBI’s Davidson: “It’s clear that lead batteries are well on track to meet the targets and some members are already reporting achieving these performance improvements.” “We are seeing exciting results from our research programme,” says Alistair Davidson, the director of CBI. “It’s clear that lead batteries are well on track to meet the targets and some members are already reporting achieving these performance improvements.” The importance of what CBI is doing has been reflected by the rapid increase in its membership — up from 72 at its start to 107 at present. But the role of the CBI is more than just acting as a research conglomerate: it has a duty to communicate its

findings to the industry as well as help the battery business communicate among itself. CBI continues to hold various technical meetings and workshops around the world. Its most recent virtual one in China was attended by 150 delegates. CBI expects that number to rise to around 200 next time. “We’re showing that our research projects are well worth knowing about — people are very excited, for example, about our work and the data we produce about carbon and other additives,” Davidson says. He says there will be a new call for research towards the end of this year, where the emphasis will be on larger scale energy storage system projects. Davidson added: “Building on our progress to date we have some impressive projects in the pipeline, which we hope to announce in the coming months. Our portfolio of research is growing very rapidly, but that’s a nice problem to have and it’s great for the industry’s future.” One change taking place was the appointment of Christian Rosenkranz as the new consortium chairman this January. Rosenkranz is the VP for industry and government relations for EMEA for Clarios and a global leader in automotive batteries. “We’re seeing a big focus in the United States under Biden and in Europe on batteries and energy storage, all linked to the low carbon agenda. This is a major opportunity for our industry and cutting-edge research will be even more critical,” Davidson says.

BATTERY MATCH The latest initiative from the CBI, launched last August, provides a matchmaking service for utility companies seeking to plan their energy storage with battery makers who can fulfill that need. Put simply, the energy storage company inputs its technical requirements — for instance, will the batteries be needed for peak avoidance, renewable firming

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or say power correction — as well as its timeframe, and is provided with details of the CBI battery members and their products that would fit these criteria. “We’ve had a good response to this so far,” says Davidson. “It shows that people when given the chance to explore the capabilities of advanced lead batteries will do so.”

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 29

NEWS

Residents’ anger over decision to overturn block on lead smelter Residents at Hazelwood North, an industrial park near a farming community in Victoria, Australia, have reacted with shock over the state government’s decision earlier in January to overturn a refusal by local Latrobe City Council for a Chinese secondary lead smelter to be built on their doorstep. Under its plans, the Chunxing smelter will recycle 50,000 tonnes of used lead acid batteries a year, to produce 28,000 tonnes of refined lead. The decision to allow the smelter to be built has been

made ahead of a tribunal already scheduled for April that was due look at the matter again. Planning minister Richard Wynne’s intervention means the tribunal will not now be held. Residents have formed a protest group at Hazelwood North, with a Facebook page showing the protests they have held. The approval has been given despite a report from Mark Stevenson, a lead smelting expert, who was contracted by the EPA to provide his assessment. In the report he outlines concerns about stock stor-

age, pollution controls, treatment of spent acid, slag production and the proposed furnaces. Chunxing sought to allay fears about the project on its website, promising that lead emissions from the new site in a worst-case scenario would be 300 times lower than EPA standards. The company came under fire in 2008 in Chinese newspaper reports, which said its facility in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, had poisoned 41 children in the village of Xinsanhe. Then named the Chunxing Alloy Group, the company

expanded near the village, generating large amounts of dust, according to Justice Atlas, an environmental NGO. After months of protests about contaminated groundwater, villagers eventually succeeded in getting treatment for their children and forcing the plant to be relocated. On September 17, Latrobe City Council refused to grant planning permission at Hazelwood North – and in light of the decision being overturned by the state of Victoria the area expects further protests will be planned.

Campine introduces new process for antimony extraction from ULABs Belgian recycling firm Campine said on January 11 it was expanding its activities with a process to extract antimony from older lead batteries which have far greater amounts of the element than more modern batteries. The antimony extracted is then transformed into trioxide, which is used as an ingredient in fire retardant paints, plastics and other materials. “This innovation is almost exclusive to Campine, as we are the only company in Europe and by extension in the world, that combines the recycling of lead-acid batteries and the manufacturing of antimony trioxide,” said Hilde Goovaerts, head of metallurgical technology at Campine. CEO Wim De Vos said the antimony trioxide grade ‘ReGen’ that the company introduced in 2018 immediately sold out — but Campine’s new process means it can be produced on an industrial

scale for customers who can complement the recycled polymers they already use with recycled additives. “On top of this, it makes Campine — and to some extent Europe — less dependent on the dominant Chinese imports of antimony metal,” he said. “Campine wants to provide at least 20% of its antimony metal demand through this type of recovery from regional waste streams. The new process to recycle antimony is already in its start-up phase.” Alongside its antimony recycling, Campine has also been expanding its extraction of other metals such as tin, silver and gold from industrial waste streams. In May 2018, the company announced its intention to invest up to €25 million ($30 million) in recycling projects, with the largest single amount going into recycling the plastic housing of batteries. “With China closing its borders for plastic waste, we see growing opportunities to recycle even more plastics in Europe,” De Vos said at the time.

Bolivian lead smelter to be upgraded after running at 10% capacity The 40,000 tonnes a year Karachipampa zinc-leadsilver smelter in Bolivia is to be upgraded after being operated by state mining firm Comibol at just 10% of capacity for the past year, the country’s mining ministry said on October 28. Energy and commodities news agency S&P Global Platts said the underperformance had been due to a faulty blast furnace, and local contractor firm Kimmaera had been hired to bring it back online. Five investor groups have already signalled their interest in participating in mining projects across the country. Lead concentrates production fell by half in September, Platts reported, along with zinc, tin and copper, after a two-month lockdown due to the virus. Bolivia is ranked 18th in the world in terms of lead production, producing around 88,000 tonnes in 2019, according to data firm CEIC.

This was a decrease over 2018, which was recorded at 112,000 tonnes, although that figure was an all-time high. Just two weeks ago a socialist government led by Luis Arce was elected on October 23. He has promised to rebuild the country after a year of political turmoil capped by this year’s pandemic.

30 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

Eternity Technologies launches range of gel bloc batteries made in the UAE Eternity Technologies, the UAE industrial battery plant launched a new range of Bloc batteries in dearly November. The Eternity Technologies Gel Bloc is a new generation of maintenance free product using VRLA Gel technology to provide extensive cycle performance, high resilience to deep discharge, longer life in harsh conditions and fully recyclable. The Eternity Gel Bloc range will be made in three variants traction, leisure and solar) to serve applications such as

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NEWS marine, cleaning machines, automated guided vehicles, aerial work platforms, motorhomes, solar and wheelchairs. Products will be available in 6V or 12V with capacity from 25Ah up to 300Ah. The range will be manufactured out of a brand new plant in the UAE, using the latest generation of production equipment, with a production capacity of 1 million Blocs annually to serve the global market. “We are excited to be able to respond to the growing demand of battery solutions with the most reliable and cost effective technology” said Mark Stevenson, the CEO of Eternity Technologies. Chinese secondary lead smelters drop operating rates as new plants open Operating rates in secondary lead smelters across the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan and Guizhou saw an average drop in the last week of October, all operating at an average of just over 50%, the Shanghai Metals Market reported on October 30. This is in spite of a November 4 report by Transparency Market Research, which says the battery recycling sector in the Asia-Pacific region, led by China, would have a CAGR of around 10% up to 2027 because of the growing requirements of governments to reduce environmental impact. “Recycling and disposal of spent batteries are a key concern for economies in the light of reducing the environmental impact of the battery industry, as well as the mining of key minerals used in the battery making,” it said. “They have framed numerous regulations, and stakeholders in the value chain are leaning on com-

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plying with those. This has spurred the opening of new recycling plants and, more importantly, has fuelled constant technological advances in older plants.” China’s industrial output has rebounded to preCovid-19 levels, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, which recorded an overall 2.4% decrease in the first nine months of 2020 then a surge of 4.9% from July. It means China is now back at a 6% growth rate, according to its own figures. Aqua Metals debt-free after $24.3 million insurance payments Aqua Metals, the lead battery recycling firm, said on December 15 that it had paid off a $9 million loan to the Veritex Bank and was now debt free, almost exactly a year after a fire tore through its Nevada site, destroying all of its Aqua refining modules. In the same statement, the company said it had received another insurance payment in respect of the fire, with total payments received now totalling $23.4 million. “The company anticipates collecting additional insurance proceeds for the replacement value of its damaged assets and potential business interruption recovery proceeds,” the company statement said. “Eliminating our debt significantly strengthens the balance sheet and completely removes the burden of restrictive loan covenants,” said CFO Judd Merrill. “In addition, this step improves the company’s cash burn rate by eliminating $0.9 million annually in debt service payments, including $0.6 million in interest expense. We are also pleased with the continued progress made in recovering the losses through our insurance collection efforts.”

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 31

NEWS

Canadus combines solar power with reconditioning BMS to lengthen battery life Lead acid battery technology company Canadus Power Systems, based in the US state of Ohio, has combined its battery reconditioning system with solar panels to maintain the health and charge of batteries in applications where they sit idle for long periods of time, the firm said on December 1. Batteries only used intermittently in fleet or

military vehicles and construction equipment, for example, slowly lose their charge when not being used, shortening the life of the battery. By using the new system, the solar panels keep the battery charged, while the Canadus reconditioning technology desulfates it — avoiding one of the leading causes of lead-acid battery failure.

“The benefits of the solution will repay the initial investment many times over the long term,” said Canadus marketing director Jeff Scott. “Not only does it increase the battery life by up to five times, it also ensures that your equipment is ready when you need it. This reduction in downtime itself will save the end user a great deal of money.” The company is using

Ultracaps ‘now compete head on’ with lead and lithium batteries‚ says IDTechEx A November 2 report by the market research firm IDTechEx says large supercapacitors “now compete head on” with batteries — with greater energy density than lithium-ion batteries, offering up to 1MWh of storage. IDTechEx’s report looks at how supercapacitors can be a good option in tidal power, which by its nature is not uniform and requires smoothing to maintain output. Some supercapacitors, says IDTechEx, are drop-in lead acid and lithium ion battery replacements, others are bought as uninterruptible power supplies with the ability to offer peak shaving, with power density 10 times that of lithium, and series resistance low.

IDTechEx’s Raghu Das: It is now obvious that supercapacitors will be one of the very big nails in the coffin of lead acid batteries over the next few years

“Frequently, supercapacitors are used as an energy storage device to smooth the output power and improve the low-voltage ridethrough capability of energy conversion systems, being fit-and-forget and wasting 14% less electricity than lithium-ion batteries,” said IDTechEx CEO Raghu Das. “Output power fluctuation caused by the swell effect (opposite of voltage dip) is efficiently smoothed by supercapacitor energy storage systems.” Despite the apparent ad-

vantages of supercapacitors over other batteries, they have still not made much of a dent in a market that IDTechEx in 2012 admitted was overlooking them. “It is now obvious that supercapacitors will be one of the very big nails in the coffin of lead acid batteries over the next few years, yet that is only part of the story as their parameters are being improved faster than the competition,” a ‘Supercapacitors replace batteries’ report by IDTechEx chairman and founder Peter

solar panels by the California-based Merlin Solar, which are sized to provide enough supplemental charging to prevent the discharge of any specific vehicle. Merlin also activates the battery reconditioner — the Canadus HD-1224 — which cleans the build-up of hardened lead sulfate crystals from the battery’s plates. Harrop had said in May 2012. “Yet supercapacitors are an aspect of electronics and electrical engineering that is curiously neglected or talked down by the press, investors, potential suppliers and others living in the past despite a multi-billion dollar market rapidly emerging,” Harrop said. Other market research firms have indicated the outlook is rosy for supercaps, with Allied Market Research estimating a CAGR of 23.3% from 2020 to 2027, increasing the market size in value from $3.27 billion in 2019 to $16.95 billion by 2027.

Skeleton raises €41.3m in new bid to improve technology and replace lead batteries Skeleton Technologies, the supercap manufacturer, announced on November 3 it had raised €41.3 million ($48.5 million) in a series D financing round. This brings its total capital raised to over €93 million. The company says its technology can replace lead acid batteries in ICE and electric vehicles, and its Skeleton Gen 3 supercap can provide more than 60Wh/kg as opposed to 25-30Wh/kg from a lead battery. “All existing investors in the company joined the

32 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

equity raise: EIT InnoEnergy — early investors in European gigafactory startup Northvolt — FirstFloor Capital, MM Grupp and Harju Elekter,” the firm said. “Ultracapacitors are a key enabler for lowering emissions — we are not competing with lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells; we are complementary in improving performance and lowering cost,” said head of Skeleton Taavi Madiberk. “Our ultracapacitors have four times the power

density of Tesla’s. The clear competitive advantage is not only proven by our blue chip customer base, ranging from German automotives to leading truck OEMs, grid integrators to the European Space Agency, but also by an independent study backed by the US Office of Naval Research. “We have a clear roadmap to further increase our competitive advantage and increase both the energy and the power density of our products.”

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INNOVATION. PERFORMANCE. RELIABILITY.

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Bill Gates-funded aqueous air battery start-up attracts another $70m Form Energy, the US startup that previously received funding from Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures organization, confirmed to Reuters on November 12 that it has received another $70 million to develop its stationary aqueous flow batteries — which it says dispatch power for days, not hours. While remaining secretive about the investors in this latest funding — details of which the company says

will be forthcoming — the firm did release a Solving the Clean Energy and Climate Justice Puzzle report in July 2020. In this it laid out how its aqueous-air technology could cost effectively replace nearly all fossil-fuelled peaker plants in New York State. It said the technology would enable the city of New York to meet its goal of carbon-free electricity by 2040. Although giving no details of its chemistry other than

describing it as ‘aqueous-air electrochemical energy storage’, Form Energy’s modelling said that where capex on lithium-ion storage is between $85 and $95/kWh, its technology would be between $3.75 and $4. It says where lithium-ion has the duration of more than an hour, its long-duration storage would provide up to 200. In May 2020, Form Energy announced a pilot with Great River Energy, a utility

in Minnesota, to deploy its first 1MW commercial installation with duration of 150MWh. “The electrical grid is increasingly supplied by renewable sources of energy,” said Great River vice president Jon Brekke. “Commercially viable long-duration storage could increase reliability by ensuring that the power generated by renewable energy is available at all hours to serve our membership.

Lithium battery recycler closes undisclosed funding to develop and expand internationally Li-Cycle, the Canadian lithium-ion battery recycling company, has closed a series C equity funding round to develop its New York commercial hub and move into international markets, the firm said on November 18. Details of the financing were not given other than to say Moore Strategic Ventures, the Delaware, US asset management firm, had led the round. “This is a market that re-

quires significant development — specifically when it comes to handling the incoming tsunami of spent lithium-ion batteries,” said CEO Ajay Kochbar. Kochbar is not wrong. The problems with recycling lithium batteries from both a technical and cost perspective are well known. In its Green Chemistry 2020, No. 22 Critical Review, the Royal Society of Chemistry says that lithium

batteries should be designed with recycling in mind. The review talks about lead batteries, which have ‘a simple design, a low-cost recycling process, a structured collection programme and a significant environmental impact if not recycled’. “Achieving the same for lithium-ion batteries is difficult, due to the more complex cell design and cell chemistry. The lack of any standardization of cells and

Highview breaks ground in UK plans to work on giga-scale cryogenic storage in Chile Cryogenic energy storage developer Highview Power said on November 6 it had broken ground on its 250MWh CRYOBattery installation in Manchester, UK, the company’s first commercial system. The project won a £10 million ($12.5 million) hand-out from the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s ‘Storage at Scale’ competition, and is being installed at a decommissioned thermal power station.

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In October it said it had agreed to work with Chilean power generator Energia Latina SA (Enlasa) to develop giga-scale energy storage systems in Chile, which would be equal to nuclear and thermal power in terms of performance. Highview’s system is called the CRYOBattery. It uses insulated, lowpressure vessels to store cooled liquid air which, when exposed to ambient temperatures, re-gasifies rapidly and expands 700fold in volume, driving

a turbine and generating electricity. Highview claims it can provide four hours to four weeks of energy and its systems have a life span of more than 30 years. “Chile has one of the best solar irradiations in the world and the deployment of solar power together with the national decarbonization strategy require longduration energy storage to provide the needed energy balance to achieve a sustainable grid,” says Highview.

the predominance of cells from small portable devices means that initial recycling approaches will be more similar to solid municipal waste, producing streams of lower purity,” the review says, and calls for more homogenization within the industry to address some of these problems. According to a recent study by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Boston Consulting Group, the world’s economy is only 8.6% circular — a far cry from politicians’ projections. “Without sustainable and economically viable lithium battery recycling, we believe it’s likely that electric vehicle proliferation will be substantially hindered,” says Kochbar. Li-Cycle says its ‘spoke and hub’ technology, which does not use a smelting process, is a low-cost, environmentally safe process that can recycle all types of lithium-ion batteries with a recovery rate of up 95% of all materials. The resulting supply of materials was critical for the burgeoning battery sector, said Moore Strategic Ventures’ senior managing director James McIntyre.

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 35

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Australia to get second mega battery from Tesla and Neoen Neoen, the French renewable energy provider, and carmaker Tesla agreed on November 5 to install a second mega battery in Australia. This will be more than twice the size of the Hornsdale Power Reserve, which they installed two years ago in South Australia and expanded by 50% this September to 150MW/214.5MWh. The ‘Victorian Big Battery’, near Melbourne in the state of Victoria, will have

a power output of 300MW and a storage capacity of 450MWh. Energy company AusNet Services is also working on the design of the battery, which should be operating by the end of 2021. These batteries could seem small fry when compared with plans by New South Wales, whose state government has just published its Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap. In this it pledges

to deliver 12GW of transmission capacity by 2030, supported by storage. “The roadmap continues our commitment to developing renewable energy zones, though the establishment of a transmission development scheme,” says the government’s plan. “The scheme and the three renewable energy zones will also be supported by an electricity infrastructure investment

safeguard, providing support for private investment in new generation, long-duration storage and firming projects, including pumped hydro energy storage.” With the Hornsdale plant reportedly saving customers around A$14 million ($10 million) in 2019, the news will be welcome to Australians, who have to pay some of the highest bills for their power in the world.

Bushveld deploys VRFB battery to power 10% of vanadium mining work A solar-plus-vanadium battery storage system will provide up to 10% of the energy requirements of a vanadium mine and processing plant in South Africa, developer Bushveld Minerals announced in an update on November 11. The VRFB, which is being supplied by the Austrian company Enerox, will be part of a microgrid at the Vametco Alloys mine, which Bushveld says

produces around 3,000 tonnes a year. The roughly 25 tonnes of the vanadium oxide required for the battery will be supplied by the mine. The Vametco plant, in the North West Province of South Africa, is owned by Bushveld, which has hired technology firm Abengoa to put an energy management system in place to control the microgrid. “This project is part of

Bushveld’s strategy to demonstrate both the superior technical merits of long duration VRFB systems when paired with renewable energy, while providing a commercial return to the company’s shareholders,” said Bushveld. “It will also use locally mined and beneficiated vanadium, showing how VRFB energy solutions can create more local value to South Africa than any other

Singapore to deploy first floating energy storage system A consortium led by energy firm Envision has been awarded a research grant by the island’s Energy Market Authority and Keppel Offshore & Marine Digital to deploy the first floating energy storage system for Singapore, the EMA said on October 26. The 7.5MW/7.5MWh ‘floating living lab’ will have enough capacity to power more than 600 four-room apartments and if successful it could be replicated across Singapore, the EMA said. “Besides supporting Singapore’s energy needs, the developed solution will have multiple applications such as supporting areas with

intermittent power supply, and rapid deployment to provide emergency power for places or remote islands affected by power disruptions,” said Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M. “It can also be deployed on hybrid or fully electric vessels to significantly reduce carbon emissions.” The $10 million grant will be used to pay for a battery stacking technology, which is the first of its kind in the island nation, reducing the physical size of the footprint required by up to 40%, the EMA said. “This project will pave the way to overcome our land constraints, and set the

36 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

blueprint for similar deployments in the future,” said EMA chief executive Shih Chun Ngiam. “We hope to continue co-creating more of such energy solutions with the industry as we work towards a more sustainable energy future for Singapore.” “As Singapore’s hot and humid environment can affect the performance of the ESS, the testbed will use an innovative liquid-cooling solution that uses seawater to cool the battery cells and enhance the lifecycle of the ESS,” said the EMA. The deployment is scheduled to be operational in 2023.

storage technology. “The hybrid mini-grid project will supply just under 10% of Vametco’s electrical energy consumption at any one time and will demonstrate the technical and commercial capability of hybrid mini-grids using solar PV and VRFB technology. Technically, the system will be able to operate independently or jointly, either as standalone systems or as a fully functional mini-grid installation.” “The project demonstrates the commercial viability of solar plus VRFB storage solutions for commercial and industrial scale applications,” said Bushveld Minerals CEO Fortune Mojapelo. “This is occurring at a time when stationary storage deployments are gathering momentum and when in South Africa the government is making concerted efforts to lower regulatory hurdles for self-generation for commercial and industrial applications. Some estimates predict the market for VRFBs will reach $4.8 billion by 2027, which would show a CAGR of 54% between 2020 and 2027.

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

US DoE releases storage roadmap alongside Act that pledges $1bn The US Department of Energy set out its goals for energy storage with a strategy outlined in its ‘Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap’ (ESGCR), released on December 21, alongside a storage Act that pledges $1 billion for the sector. The ESGCR is a follow-up to the Grand Challenge announced in January 2020, which ‘seeks to create and sustain American leadership in energy storage’, and emphasizes the need to develop domestic manufacturing and supply chains. “The roadmap includes an aggressive but achievable goal: to develop and domestically manufacture energy storage technologies

that can meet all US market demands by 2030,” the DoE says. “The roadmap’s approach includes accelerating the transition of technologies from the lab to the marketplace, focusing on ways to competitively manufacture technologies at scale in the US, and ensuring secure supply chains to enable domestic manufacturing.” The strategy is based on three concepts: ‘Innovate Here, Make Here and Deploy Everywhere’, and among its ambitions are to level the cost of storage for long-duration stationary storage applications to $0.05/kWh, a 90% reduction from 2020 to 2030.

It also aims to reach $80/ kWh for battery packs by 2030 for a 300-mile EV, which would be 44% less than the current cost of $143/kWh. The 155-page ESGCR groups storage technologies into three focus areas: bidirectional electoral storage (stationary and mobile); chemical and thermal storage; and flexible generation and controllable loads. It also identifies five ‘tracks’ to drive advances in R&D under the headings Technology Development, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Technology Transition, Policy and Valuation and Workforce Development.

Separately, the US Congress in December passed a law authorizing $1 billion to be spent over five years on R&D and demonstrations in energy storage technology. The Better Energy Storage Act establishes a research programme for grid-scale energy storage systems among other purposes. As well as setting out targets for storage duration, recycling, storage in rural areas and improving grid reliability, the act will ‘support research and development of advanced manufacturing technologies that have the potential to improve the US competitiveness in energy storage manufacturing’.

CAISO approves second hybrid resource model to fill transmission system shortfalls CAISO — California Independent System Operators — approved a proposal formally suggested on November 12 and passed a week later that would allow hybrid storage resources to provide energy and ancillary services to the network. The aim is to contribute to transmission system reliability given that CAISO

anticipates a potential shortfall of capacity to meet system net load peaks over the next few years. This is because of the decommissioning and retiring of the natural gas generation plants. “To address this shortfall, storage resource developers have submitted a significant number of interconnection

requests and are moving quickly to fill the 3,300MW procurement mandate from the California Public Utilities Commission prior to 2023,” says Mark Rothleder, chief operating officer. “To meet this need, the ISO anticipates a significant amount of new storage generation capacity in California alone in 2020,

World’s largest battery officially begins operations at Moss Landing, California If it’s the biggest on the planet, it’s got to be Texan! Texas-based energy firm Vistra on January 6 said it had switched on the largest lithium-ion battery storage facility in the world, the Moss Landing facility in Monterey County, California. The 300MW/1,200MWh system is not even up to capacity yet, with a further 100MW/400MWh due to be added by August

2021 in Phase 2 — and if required, ultimately it has the potential to be stepped up to 1,500MW/6,000MWh. The system, developed in cooperation with the utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company, has been installed at the existing Moss Landing power plant. It uses existing transmission lines to improve grid stability and fill the ‘reliability gap’

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created by intermittent renewables, Vistra CEO Curt Morgan said. “A battery system of this size and scale has never been built before,” he said. Now in Phase 1, the battery system can power around 225,000 homes at peak electricity periods, using stored excess electricity from the grid generated during peak solar output hours.

2021 and 2022.” Under the hybrid resources initiative, ISO management says it has developed two market models for generation with different technology types located behind the same interconnection. The first option is the ‘colocated’ resources model and was approved by the ISO board in July. Under this model the resources behind the interconnection have separate resource IDs and are separately dispatched through the ISO market even though they may have a shared commercial interest. The second option, which the ISO has just approved, is a model for hybrid resources, where the generation resources are modelled under a single resource ID. “The hybrid model allows for the underlying resources to be managed by the resource operator as opposed to the ISO,” says Rothleder.

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS solar power into the grid,” said Frank Phuan, CEO of Sunseap, a local solar energy firm also working on the installation.

UK to install one of the world’s biggest batteries InterGen, the Scotlandbased energy company, announced on November 30 that it had been given the green light by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to install a 320MW/640MWh battery on the Thames Estuary in Essex, southeast England. It will have the potential to expand to 1.3GWh and while it could power up to 300,000 homes for two hours when fully charged, its main function will be to provide grid stabilizing services, InterGen said. This will dwarf the UK’s largest battery to date, a 50MW/75MWh battery in South Yorkshire owned by

Gresham House Energy Storage Fund. In July, BEIS removed the obligation to seek government approval for battery installations larger than 50MW, and at more than six times that size, the InterGen battery is taking advantage of the simpler procedure. It is also staying under the upper limit, which was set at 350MW. UK prime minister Boris Johnson in November revealed a ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’, and although grid-scale battery storage was not mentioned specifically, point 7 said buildings should be made more

energy efficient. Point 1 says the number of offshore wind turbines should be quadrupled to power every home, and because wind and solar sources of power result in a more unstable grid, this presents further opportunities for gridscale battery storage. The nearest comparable is the Tesla and Neoen’s battery in South Australia, the Hornsdale battery, which is 100MW/129MWh. The two firms agreed in November to work on a second battery in the state of Victoria that will be 300MW/450MWh, thus three times larger than Hornsdale.

Fluence snaps up advanced Microgrid Systems Energy storage technology firm Fluence said on October 15 it had bought Advanced Microgrid Systems, the digital intelligence platform that provides optimized bidding software for utility-scale storage and generation applications. The purchase is being hailed as a combination that will help utilities and developers optimize their storage assets to make more money, improve grid reliability and efficiency and drive the move towards more sustainable, resilient power systems. The deal comes a year after the two companies struck up a partnership. “This acquisition provides customers with data-driven insights that maximize the value and performance of generation and storage assets to make the entire grid smarter,” said Brett Galura, chief technology officer

with Fluence. “AMS and Fluence’s technologies together will act as a force multiplier, maximizing asset value by combining Fluence’s deep experience operating batteries in the field with AMS’s ability to optimize market participation,” said Fluence. Fluence, which is owned by Siemens and AES, operates more than 2.4GW of energy projects worldwide.

First utility-scale ESS installed in Singapore by Wärtsilä Singapore’s Energy Market Authority has agreed to install the country’s first 2.4MW/2.4MWh utilityscale ESS by the Finnish energy firm Wärtsilä, working with Asian utility SP Group, it said on October 22. The move is another step towards Singapore’s goal to install 200MW of energy storage from 2025. The system will be used in the wholesale electricity market to mitigate intermittent power from solar-generated sources, and it will also reduce peak demand. As a testbed, the system will be able to evaluate the operating circumstances in a climate as hot and humid as Singapore’s. “We expect this first battery system in Singapore to enhance grid stability by providing the quick response and flexibility needed when integrating

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SER Capital snaps up three battery projects in Texas LG Chem will supply the batteries for three storage projects in Texas that have been bought by private equity firm SER Capital Partners, the investment firm said on October 22. Details of where the storage projects will be located were not divulged, other than describing them as ‘near renewable wind projects whose output is frequently congested’. In total they will supply 30MW of power, SER said.

Harmony Energy agrees second battery project with FRV in the UK UK developer Harmony Energy is to begin a second battery storage project in the UK with Spanish renewable energy firm Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV). It is also the second time it will use Tesla Megapack lithium batteries and the carmaker’s Autobidder AI software to trade and control its performance. The new Contego project began before Christmas in West Sussex, and once completed next year will be one of the largest battery storage plants in the UK, at 34MW/68MWh. It will be connected to the UK Power Networks distribution network, adding the capability to store energy from renewable sources as the UK, along with much of the world, tries to shift away from fossil fuel sources of energy. Contego is much larger than the first project installed by the two firms, which is in Dorset and has a capacity of 15MWh. The UK is keen to increase its battery storage capacity, and in July removed planning barriers to batteries of more than 50MW in power. The UK National Grid estimates that by the end of 2025, battery storage capacity could be up to 2.3GWh in the UK, two and a half times that recorded at the end of 2019, which was 0.88GWh. French battery giant Saft opens ‘energy storage hub’ in China Saft, the international battery maker, has opened

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 39

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Lithium-ion battery price drops to lowest ever in 2020 The price of lithium batteries dropped to its lowest ever in 2020, a report by BloombergNEF claimed on December 16, citing a 13% drop on 2019 figures. For the first time, BNEF said, battery packs were selling for less than $100/ kWh for e-buses in China, although the volumeweighted average price for e-buses there was slightly higher, at $105/kWh. The market average was $137/kWh hour in 2020, which means that over 10 years, the price per kilowatt hour has dropped an energy storage hub in Zhuhai, China, which means its energy storage systems are now made on three continents — Europe, the US and Asia — it said on November 10. The hubs do not simply make batteries; in line with the other two, in Bordeaux, France, and Jacksonville, US, the Zhuhai plant will offer ‘an integrated approach to energy storage’, with every step of the process taken care of from initial concept to delivery and grid connection. This sets the energy storage hubs apart from its battery-making facilities, which are in operation in several countries around the world. SCE and Sunrun to promote residential batteries in bid to boost grid resilience Southern California Edison, one of the largest electric utilities in the US, on November 19 said it had signed a contract with solar and battery storage provider Sunrun in an effort to stabilize the grid with solar-powered home batteries bundled together

by 87% in real terms from $1,100 in 2010. In battery electric vehicles, the lower $126/ kWh pack price means that the battery portion of the total cost of a vehicle was 21%, dropping to $101/kWh by 2023, BNEF’s 2020 Battery Price Survey said. “It is at around this price point that automakers should be able to produce and sell mass market EVs at the same price (and with the same margin) as comparable internal combustion vehicles in some markets,”

said BNEF. “This assumes no subsidies are available, but actual pricing strategies will vary by automaker and geography.” BNEF also said that new cathode chemistries and falling manufacturing costs would drive prices down in the near term. Calling the price drop a ‘historic milestone’, James Frith, BNEF head of energy storage research and lead author of the report, said within a few years the average price in the industry as a whole would pass this point.

in a kind of virtual power plant. Under the agreement, SCE will send signals to Sunrun during highdemand events such as extreme heat, and Sunrun will dispatch energy from thousands of home-based Brightbox solar-powered battery systems installed in the territory, boosting the overall power capacity of the grid by 5MW. The home batteries, which Sunrun will start installing at the end of 2020 with a view to completion by August 2023, will also provide back-up to the households in which they are installed if there is a black-out. They will be paid for by those who choose to install them — with no upfront costs and what Sunrun says are low monthly payments.

region’s electric system reliability needs’, the utility said on December 7. All of the batteries are lithium-ion and include three utility-scale projects plus one 5MW behindthe-meter pilot system. It brings the state’s total of storage capacity planned to come online by 2023 to more than 3GW — which will almost double its existing operational capacity of 4.3GW (according to figures from the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems). Of that figure, just over 2GW will be battery storage, which includes the 770MW/3GWh procured by the utility in May. “Bringing more utilityscale battery storage resources online will improve the reliability of the grid and further the integration of renewable generation resources, like wind and solar, into the grid,” said William Walsh, SCE vice president of energy procurement and management. The new projects include a 325MW ‘Desert Peak’ project by NextEra Energy; a 200MW project

SCE to bring portfolio to 2GW battery storage capacity Southern California Edison, the second largest utility in the US, has added another 590MW of battery energy storage capacity to its portfolio ‘to further enhance the

40 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

“What’s more, our analysis shows that even if prices for raw materials were to return to the highs seen in 2018, it would only delay average prices reaching $100/kWh by two years — rather than completely derailing the industry,” he said. “The industry is becoming increasingly resilient to changing raw material prices, with leading battery manufacturers moving up the value chain and investing in cathode production or even mines.” named ‘Crimson’ by Recurrent Energy; a 60MW ‘Eldorado Valley’ project by 174 Power Global/ Hanwha Group; and a 5MW behind-the-meter system by Sunrun. In its Pathway 2045 white paper, published in November 2019, SCE sets out a road map of how to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. It emphasizes the need to decarbonize the electricity sector and electrify transport and buildings coupled with energy efficiency, as well as use low-carbon fuels to electrify applications such as industrial and heavy-duty long-range movement of goods. “In 25 years’ time, three quarters of lightduty vehicles, two thirds of medium-duty vehicles and one third of heavyduty vehicles will need to be electric,” the white paper says. “And by 2045, almost three quarters of space and water heating will also need to be electric.” SCE has about five million customer accounts, it says, in a 50,000 square mile (80,500 square kilometre) area.

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PRODUCT PROFILE Farmer Mold’s new product line — the Through the Wall welder — will offer versatility, automation and consistency, says the firm.

The Through the Wall welder The latest generation of welders us about to be launched, according to Jim Gilmour, president of Farmer Mold, the Florida-based family firm talking to Batteries International at the start of the year, “There are three key advantages to the welder,” says Gilmour. “The first is its versatility — the machine can do a wide variety of size from the BCI group U-1, for batteries in say lawnmowers up to battery sizes typical for cars up to deep-cycle batteries and up to BCI group L16 — the tall 16” (406 mm) batteries. The new machine is also capable of handling commercial size batteries that require a cross head welding position as required for 4D and 8D group sizes. “The multi-head automatic welder can be changed rapidly — materials handling is greatly reduced — and its repeatability mean here is no need for manual intervention.” Gilmour reckons that its versatility makes it ideal for manufacturers with smaller production runs but a wide range of battery products. All the welders incorporate Farmer’s weld toggle assembly. For the past 25 years, the weld head design allows greater force application at the weld point without compromising space. In addition, its separate second squeeze application after the weld forges the molten lead to an optimum predetermined displacement within the punched hole in the container. Other features of Farmer Mold’s product range include the ability to weld in all three axes, and a production rate of greater than four batteries a minute. Gilmour says he anticipates increasing the production rate later this year. One interesting add-on is the option to capture weld data while working. This he believes has the potential to be useful in later warranty claims.

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FEATURES

BENEFITS

• PLC Controls for production of up to 4 batteries per minute

• Automatic short-testing option

• Low maintenance long-life, belted conveyor system

• Available in multiple configurations to suit individual customer needs

• Proven material handling system for rapid changeovers

• Modular frame design with selfcontained hydraulic

• Low operating cost

• Touchscreen or button operator interface available

• Unique second squeeze after the weld • Variety of weld control options available

• Weld control data collections option available

Gilmour reckons that its versatility makes it ideal for manufacturers with smaller production runs but a wide range of battery products. Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 41

COVER STORY: THE V2G REVOLUTION

The V2G revolution:

the nexus of power, consumer and grid

Electric vehicles cost more than ICE equivalents, so V2G programmes can be a way to offset their cost.

42 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

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COVER STORY: THE V2G REVOLUTION

The electrification of transport has an unusual side benefit, the availability of a potentially huge well of energy storage to be tapped when needed. Vehicle-to-grid technology is not new. And on paper, it’s a no-brainer: you discharge your car battery — and are paid to do so — when you’re not driving to boost the grid at peak times; then you use the grid to charge up your car when power is cheaper. And for the utility, what a boon to have potential tens of megawatts of electricity that can be tapped when a whole fleet of cars is plugged into the grid. Moreover, if the fleet of cars is sufficiently large only a small amount of electricity need be taken from the vehicles. It all makes sense in theory, but it hasn’t happened yet. But it could be happening soon. And potentially, once the infrastructure and software is in place, it could materialize quite quickly. Electric cars have historically been regarded as a threat to the grid’s stability if they recharge at the same time as peak electricity demand.

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The V2G technology needed is bidirectional charging technology, cloudbased software and communications infrastructure to enable smart charging. Nissan, which has sold more EVs than any other automaker, was an early proponent of V2G. Ten years ago, when it began selling the Nissan Leaf in Europe, the company realized that energy suppliers were not huge fans of EVs. “There are 32 million passenger cars in the UK. As significant volumes of EVs start being driven, each with a battery that’s anywhere between 7kW to 11kW, you have a problem from the grid’s perspective if these loads cannot be managed,” says Nissan Energy’s European managing director Francisco Carranza. “We then started looking at how electric cars could be grid friendly. In particular to find a system where V2G can respond to various intraday trading and grid services signals.” With millions of pounds in funding from the UK government, studies and pilots have been undertaken to identify and address the barriers to a V2G market. After initial discussions with various energy suppliers, about three years ago Nissan identified a core group of collaborators to work with, including Octopus EDF, and Eon. >

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 43

COVER STORY: THE V2G REVOLUTION These came together with other key stakeholders (primarily DNO UK Power Networks) and National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO), to start exploring the V2G market and identify the issues and challenges. “One thing we discovered is the payback for V2G is too long,” says Carranza. “It can be between five and 10 years. This depends on several factors, like whether it is a commercial fleet vehicle or if the vehicle is privately owned. Payback has to occur within the same length of time as a vehicle leasing agreement. A V2G market and mass adoption relies on establishing bidirectional charging infrastructure as well as changes in energy market regulations to make it easier for behind-themeter EV batteries to access revenue streams. Carranza says: “The regulatory framework is changing but it is still a long way from being one that supports a fully decentralized energy system encompassing lots of small, distributed assets at the end of the grid. “However, we see within two years a market will exist for V2G services and the business case will be better defined. You need as many revenue streams as possible for V2G to be able to access. Key to it also is artificial intelligence-based software that can pick those revenue streams.” When it works with energy companies and enterprises interested in rolling out V2G programmes, Nissan has a set of criteria that have to be met to provide warranties for the batteries in its EVs. “Only bidirectional chargers validated by Nissan can be used by the operator introducing V2G services. The battery also has to meet certain cycling parameters, so we have set

SAMPLE INCENTIVES Octopus’ PowerLoop offering is one of the most comprehensive available on the market. From £299 ($400) a month, customers can lease a new Nissan Leaf with a 40kWh battery, warrantied by the carmaker, on a 100% renewable electricity tariff. PowerLoop also includes a Wallbox charger and installation, a smart meter, and a mobile app to let customers control their charging schedule, plus the £30 monthly credit on their energy account if they complete 12 cycles a month.

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the newer Nissan LEAF models, to comply with the Nissan warranty. Grid balancing services are vital across Europe as renewable energy take-up is increased. “UK, France, Germany, Netherlands. These are all promising markets for V2G. More recently Italy has also started to make moves in this area to procure more grid balancing type services,” Carranza says. “By 2025 the V2G market will begin to get established in greater volumes. By then we should have the right market in place for the services and revenue streams. But we also need the rest of the EV industry to adopt V2G.” Mitsubishi, Volkswagen and Renault are in the process of adopting this technology

“V2G is the next phase in the electrification revolution. But an EV driver primarily wants their vehicle for getting around. Using it as a grid support asset should be an unobtrusive additional benefit.” Vincent de Rul, EDF Energy a limit and we won’t authorize any more than this,” says Carranza. Typically, 70-75% of total battery capacity can be used, which is based on being able to charge up to 100% and discharge to a minimum of 25%. This equates to roughly 30kWh of usable capacity on a 40kWh battery in

Energy providers’ perspective

Energy retailers Octopus and OVO Energy have been involved in government-backed pilots for V2G. Octopus has a financial incentive to make customers enrol in its Powerloop V2G pilot. Customers plug in before six o’clock in the evening and stay plugged in until at least five o’clock the following morning, completing a cycle. If they complete 12 cycles within a month their energy account is credited with £30 ($38). Using the company’s specially developed app, customers are able to indicate when they need their car, leaving the energy company to plan the 12 sessions around the driver’s schedule. At this early stage in the V2G market, such simple propositions appeal to customers, according to Octopus’ director of technology and innovation, Claire Miller. Octopus, like other companies, wants to be technology agnostic when it comes to the charger, with different makes able to integrate with its platform. Miller says efforts such as the Open Charger Protocol (OCP), which lets chargers talk to the world, is underpinning more open standard approaches, which will benefit the market as a whole. The hardware itself has required refinement, too. “When we ran tests on a couple of types of chargers, they were industrial looking, more like air-conditioning units than a sleek consumer appliance,” he says. Octopus is working with Wallbox and the partnership has grown over

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COVER STORY: THE V2G REVOLUTION “V2G can unlock flexibility at times of constraint on the grid. But you need a very customer-centric approach. There needs to be availability of charging infrastructure to support uptake. You also need to incentivize the market.” THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES AHEAD Arguably the biggest obstacle to V2G is that of finance and in particular the lack of clear and reliable revenue streams. “There are existing DNO services, namely active power, peak shaving and load shifting that can be provided by V2G. Work is going on to provide the value of those services, through pricing mechanisms, which could be flexibility signals and the low voltage level, or changes in pricing at different times of the day for importing and exporting power,” says Privitera. “More clarity and certainty over existing revenue streams is needed and commercial products need to be made available. These can be advertised through the Piclo platform, to show where constraints on the network are, to make it easier for flexibility providers and aggregators to target them.

“As an industry we need to show that the business case stacks up.” Today UK Power Networks has 100 V2G chargers on its network, including those installed as part of the pilots it is involved in. At this stage the early adopters are most on board with V2G. Privitera says they are more interested in embracing innovation and being ahead of the curve than the payback of V2G, similar to early adopters of home battery storage systems. “But commercial fleets need to see a business case. So clarity over existing revenue streams is critical. For fleet operators it is also imperative that their vehicles, enrolled in V2G, are always adequately charged as well. “Ultimately a market for V2G requires regulatory change. In future we will define more services, other than our basic ones. Sharing learning among various stakeholders — Ofgem, other DNOs — can help to promote nationwide adoption across the country and consistency in V2G offerings too, which will help support mass uptake,” she says. There are many issues to fine tune, not least of which is the stress on EV batteries with utilities drawing from them so often: the battery is one of the most expensive constituents of an EV and it is still not clear if vehicle owners would have to pay the full cost of any replacement battery. However the signs are that moves are being made – and once the world is back on its wheels after the Covid-19 pandemic, V2G should be among the emerging markets.

“More clarity and certainty over existing revenue streams is needed and commercial products need to be made available … as an industry we need to show that the business case stacks up.” — Francisco Carranza, Nissan

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the past few months. Wallbox, headquartered in Barcelona, was set up by ex-Tesla executives in 2015, to develop and produce intelligent chargers for homes and businesses. Initially Octopus aimed to start with 135 participants in its V2G programme, but has increased this to 185-200. Because of the coronavirus pandemic and government lockdown in the UK, installations are on hold. But once the chargers are installed, Octopus will be able to gather realworld data into consumer behaviour that will feed into any future rollout. Miller says: “The UK is an interesting market from a customer proposition perspective. Customers are interested in how they are using their energy, whether it is from renewable sources, the ethos of energy providers and also innovation. People are actively interested in energy and more appreciative and open to technologies and innovations that can enable them to give energy back to the grid. “UK Power Networks is a good partner for us to be working with, as they have been exploring ways to reduce peak demand and make use of available energy. We are demonstrating a role that technology can play in that and hopefully showing that V2G can be an intuitive way to do this.” As more adopt V2G, in future Miller reckons that different commercial offerings could be defined that suit different levels of engagement. Carranza thinks the commercial model that Octopus has created in its PowerLoop bundle is probably the direction in which other parts of the energy retail market will travel. According to Vincent de Rul, EDF Energy’s director of energy solutions, V2G is the next phase in the electrification revolution. “But an EV driver primarily wants their vehicle for getting around,” he says. “Using it as a grid support asset should be an unobtrusive additional benefit.” One of the challenges, he says, is matching the expectations of the EV driver and the utility. “For us, an EV is a battery on wheels. For the driver they need to know they have enough mileage for their journeys.” In October 2019 the company launched Dreev with its partner, California-headquartered V2G start-up Nuvve. Dreev is focused on developing V2G programmes and services that use Nuvve’s bidirectional charger and related technology.

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www.sovemagroup.com info@sovemagroup.com

COVER STORY: THE V2G REVOLUTION Although Dreev has partnered Nissan, de Rul says all major car makers need to be involved in VSG standardization. To test V2G technology in the real world, two of EDF’s UK sites, including Hove in Sussex, have been installed with Nuvve’s chargers. In 2018 EDF announced it would roll out 1,500 V2G chargers in the UK. Since then the company has refined its initiative. “Initially we are starting with commercial fleets and are in late stage talks with potential business and other enterprises,” says de Rul. “We found that commercial fleets provide a more straightforward way to implement V2G and capture grid service revenues,” de Rul says. “Commercial enterprises already have half hourly meters installed, whereas domestic consumers will need to have them installed to enrol on a V2G programme. “Having that half hourly consumption profile is important as it matches the wholesale energy market, enabling greater accuracy when accessing the different revenue streams.” Giulia Privitera, low carbon technologies delivery manager at UK Power Networks, sees commercial vehicle fleet operators as potential key adopters of V2G. Electric vehicles cost more than ICE equivalents, so V2G programmes can be a way to offset their cost. They also tend to be driven a lot more than privately owned cars and, depending on the business, may be limited to recharging in specific time frames. For the past few months EDF and Nissan have been gathering data on the impact of EV batteries used for V2G services. This involves EDF sharing information with Nissan on the charging and discharging profile of the battery while it is being optimized for providing grid services. EDF has installed technology within

Within two years a market will exist for V2G services and the business case will be better defined. and by 2025 the V2G market will begin to get established in more volumes. By then we should have the right market in place for the services and revenue streams. — Francisco Carranza, Nissan its lab in Paris, France to carry out accelerated testing of batteries. “We can simulate 10 years of aging to see what V2G does to the battery, but within a matter of weeks.” As more smart meters are rolled out among residential consumers, EDF will support the enlargement of V2G initiatives among the private EV ownership base. De Rul says: “V2G is a challenging market to get right. The location of the battery can change, depending on where the driver has taken it, and you don’t know how much energy is in the battery. “Virtual power plant software platforms will address a lot of these issues. But today it is more challenging to trade aggregated EV batteries enrolled in a V2G programme, compared with a standalone battery.” The entities that operate and manage the UK’s electricity system are critical in any successful V2G deployment. To UK Power Networks, which is the largest DNO in the UK, V2G is just one tool in the box that will be needed to manage the networks as more variable wind and solar generation is built, and mobility and heating

SECOND LIFE TOO Nissan and EDF are also working together on second life opportunities for EV batteries. In a car, an EV battery has an operational lifetime of 10-15 years. It still then has sufficient capacity for use in a stationary storage application. In Sunderland Nissan has installed its old EV batteries in a second life

48 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

battery, which is optimized through EDF’s software platform. “Key to the second-life opportunity is having better management of the full lifecycle of the battery,” says Carranza. “If the operational life of the battery can be extended, in second life deployment, savings can potentially be leveraged to offset the cost of EVs.”

sectors continue to decarbonize by switching to electrification. There are up to 300,000 electric and plug-in vehicles in the UK, with about 30% of these plugging into conventional charge points on UK Power Networks’ network, which covers London, the south-east and the east of England. By 2030 there will be 2.6 million EVs plugged into its network. “We can’t resolve this challenge on our own so partnerships have been really important to finding the solutions,” says Giulia Privitera, low carbon technologies delivery manager at UK Power Networks. “V2G can unlock flexibility at times of constraint on the grid. But you need a very customer-centric approach. There needs to be availability of charging infrastructure to support uptake. You also need to incentivize the market.” UK Power Networks is participating in several V2G pilots, including PowerLoop with Octopus, project Sciurus with OVO Energy, Bus2Grid with Transport for London and BYD and the Nissan-led e4Future, which also includes Eon and ESO and other partners. One technological block to mass take-up that is being addressed by these projects includes refining the connection process for V2G chargers. “We are in the process of simplifying the connection process,” says Privitera. “There has been no fit-for-purpose connection procedure for these types of chargers. The situation was similar for solar systems, but we are preparing to get ahead of the mass uptake of V2G, by defining a streamlined process that’s specific to V2G.”

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COVER STORY: THE V2G REVOLUTION

OVO Energy — project Sciurus Through the Innovate UK-funded V2G project Sciurus, Ovo Energy is recruiting up to 1,000 households to take part. Here it shares its progress so far with Batteries International. The V2G offering is made up of three core components: a customer energy proposition, a bidirectional V2G charger, and an intelligent energy platform to manage the charging and discharging of the charger in sync with the needs of the energy system. “We have been installing V2G chargers at a rapid rate, making us the largest residential V2G trial in the world,” says OVO Energy senior commercial manager Nick Arnott. “As per current government advice, we’ve paused home visits to keep our customers and our team safe during the coronavirus outbreak so we are not currently installing V2G chargers. All trial participants have a Nissan LEAF or the Nissan ENV200 van.” Key partners and stakeholders OVO Energy is leading Sciurus and has developed the tariff. Indra has led V2G charger technical development and manufacture. Kaluza has developed the app and control algorithms and is working with Indra to integrate the bidirectional chargers with its software platform. Nissan is also a key project partner, to certify the V2G charger with its electric cars and vans to ensure compliance with battery warranties. “We have worked with Nissan to ensure that our V2G optimization and control protects the customer warranty, which still leaves us with plenty of usable storage and flexibility to use for arbitrage,” says Arnott. Nissan dealers have also been an important source of trial participant recruitment. Cenex is leading on research and dissemination. DNOs are also key stakeholders to allow installations to happen across the UK, and National Grid ESO is critical in terms of exploring future revenue streams. BEIS, OLEV and Innovate UK are the government stakeholders. The customer proposition Customers can sign up to OVO Energy to receive a free V2G charger installed at their home, and a payment of £75 on signing up to the proposition. As well as being supplied with energy, under the terms of their tariff they will be paid for export, receiving a £0.30

50 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

pence credit on their bill for every kilowatt hour exported to the grid. The charger technology The V2G charger offered by OVO Energy has been designed and manufactured in the UK by Indra Renewable Technologies. “This unit has seen phenomenal cost reductions since when we started looking into V2G three years ago,” says Arnott. Built from the ground up and field tested through project Sciurus, Indra is now exploring supply partnerships to roll it out in other programmes and use cases. The software app Kaluza has developed the app used to give customer control in project Sciurus, which can also be white labelled for future customers. “The app provides information to the user in the form of charging and discharging history, broken down into half hourly periods. It also provides the customer with the means of setting their schedule, minimum and maximum state of charge and allows the customer to boost charging, thereby overriding the schedule and charging at full power,” Arnott says. Results and findings so far “We have learned a lot in project Sciurus to date. The most interesting customer insight from this data is the significantly higher level of engagement in V2G than under other forms of EV charging. Customers plug in every day, as opposed to twice per week,” says Arnott. OVO Energy has also found that customers plug in for longer because they understand the value of doing so and they engage with the technology significantly more than in standard EV charging, or smart charging, according to Arnott. Arnott describes many of the V2G customers as EV enthusiasts who are also aware of their carbon footprint, with a significant percentage of the adopters having their own renewable generation at home, such as solar PV panels. User feedback is extremely valu-

able. “We are already implementing features that have been suggested by our customers. As with any technology, we need to engage constantly with our user base, be transparent and understand how we can solve challenges to improve user experience,” says Arnott. Revenue streams In Sciurus OVO Energy is primarily accessing the price arbitrage revenue stream. Using the Kaluza platform, Indra’s V2G charger gives drivers the option to discharge and sell surplus electricity from their EV batteries back to the electricity grid, helping to supply energy at times of peak demand. Kaluza also optimises vehicle charging to take advantage of cheaper electricity when it’s available and when there is more electricity generated from renewable energy in the system. “V2G has the potential to offer a host of benefits to the electricity system and we have been exploring the technologies application in a variety of balancing and ancillary services markets,” Arnott says. OVO Energy is working closely with Nissan to ensure that no battery degradation is caused by V2G charging beyond what would be expected from normal charging using a standard EV home charge point. “This has been dealt with by a combination of formal certification of the V2G charger, and an ongoing review of data from both the chargers and the vehicles,” says Arnott. Sciurus also provides a unique opportunity to do a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of V2G on EV batteries, according to Arnott. While there has been much talk of degradation some studies indicate that V2G could extend battery life over an unmanaged charging scenario, he says. “We are excited to be exploring such a pioneering topic. V2G is a real game changer as we transition to an intelligent, zero carbon grid. Not only can it enable intelligent charging of electric cars so that energy is used at cheaper and greener times of day, it offers bidirectionality flows that allow owners to sell surplus energy back to the grid and make a profit, effectively turning individual households into mini green power stations,” says Arnott.”

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2020: THE YEAR OF THE GREAT LITHIUM BATTERY RECALL Worries about the dangers of high tech lithium battery fires have been a concern from the earliest days of the first lithium cells. It is still a problem. With mass adoption in the EV market looming — some are predicting that there will be 700 million on the roads in 30 years’ time — it is worth looking under the bonnet just to check the battery or the BMS.

Li-ion batteries under the spotlight again as LG Chem recalls home packs ... GM recalls 68,667 Bolts Another day, another lithium fire. Or that’s the way it seems. The amount of lithium fire recalls in electric vehicles hit a record high in 2020. That’s according to an IdTechEx research paper on thermal management published in early December. In China alone, between January and October, 10,579 battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids were recalled due to fire hazards across seven OEMs. Among major automakers — see boxed item facing — the second half of last year has proven to be the worst six months for lithium EV battery recalls ever. The cost of these recalls is not frequently mentioned but they can be astronomical. The cost of the recall of the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016, for example, was reckoned to be at least $5.3 billion. What is also not widely known is that reputable world-class companies still find difficulties in solving the fire hazard. Sony, for example, had major recalls for its laptop and notepad batteries in 2006, 2008, 2014, 2016 and 2017. The latest lithium battery recall comes from LG Energy Solution, the battery firm spun off from LG Chem. On December 16 it recalled its lithium-ion home battery systems in Michigan, US — just over a week after it launched a new line of the products. Five reports of LG Chem RESU 10H fires, resulting in minor property damage but no injuries, were mentioned on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Recalls page. “The home batteries can overheat, posing a risk of fire and emission of

52 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

harmful smoke,” says the document, which specifies that 1,815 units sold between January 2017 to March 2019 are subject to recall. They sold for around $8,000 each. A new range of LG RESU home batteries was launched at an online event on December 7 in Europe and the US and Australia on December 10. The new LG RESU Prime product

comprises the LG RESU 10H and 16H Prime products, offering ‘largecapacity, high-powered batteries courtesy of industry-leading energy density, while allowing much needed sustainable energy use through its proactive efforts towards fair cobalt procurement’. There is no suggestion that the new range poses a fire risk, ‘having passed

TIMELINE: LITHIUM’S BURNING FROM LAST SUMMER TO NOW

December 2020 On December 16 LG Chem recalled its lithiumion home battery systems in Michigan, US — just over a week after it launched a new line of the products.

November 2020 Polestar recalled the majority of its Polestar 2 models sold globally to replace faulty battery inverters. Some 4,586 vehicles were affected by the recall.

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2020: THE YEAR OF THE GREAT LITHIUM BATTERY RECALL all safety tests conducted in the harshest conditions’, the company said. As well as the RESU Prime, LG Energy also unveiled an LG RESU FLEX at its online events. LG Chem also supplied the utilityscale McMicken battery in Arizona, which entered thermal runaway and exploded in April 2019, injuring four firefighters. An investigation by Arizona Public Service concluded that cell failure kicked off the chain of events that led to the explosion.

Recalls on the rise

Meanwhile, General Motors has recalled 68,667 Chevrolet Bolts, telling owners not to park their cars near their house or in their garage for risk of fire. The recall was announced on November 13 after five battery fires were recorded. The batteries, made by Korean manufacturer LG Chem, are at their most dangerous when at or near full capacity, a safety recall report from the US National Highway Transport Safety Administration says. “The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full

Between January and October 2020 in China, 10,579 EVs and plug-in hybrids were recalled due to fire hazards across seven OEMs, but this was s small undercurrent of news given the huge recalls that have hit the international markets in recent months or nearly full capacity,” says the announcement, which also says that to mitigate the risk, GM has developed software that limits the charging to 90% of full capacity. “The condition is specific to battery cells produced at LG Chem’s Ochang, Korea plant that are design level 2.1,” the recall document says. “From July 20, 2020 through to August 26, GM received four claims alleging that the high-voltage battery pack in a Chevrolet Bolt caused a fire. GM opened a product investigation on August 26, to investigate these claims. “From August 26 through November 5, GM’s product investigation team conducted field and warranty data searches and onsite vehicle inspections to investigate the origin of the alleged

fires. GM also worked with LG Chem to identify a potential root cause. “In total, GM has identified 12 firerelated allegations involving 2017 through 2019 model year Chevrolet Bolt vehicles that may be battery related. “Of these claims, GM has, to date, confirmed that a battery-related fire appears to have occurred in five cases.” Instructions to car owners have been given as to how to limit the charge capacity of their vehicles as an interim measure until repairs have been carried out, but if they are unable to do so they are advised not to keep their vehicles in a garage or even a car port.

W — FIRE! FIRE! November 2020 General Motors recalled 68,667 Chevrolet Bolts, and told owners not to park their cars near their house or in their garage for risk of fire. October 2020 Hyundai said it would globally recall some 77,000 Kona Electric models manufactured between September 2017 and March, 2020, according to Yonhap news agency. The recall comes after 13 fires in the model have been reported since 2018. October 2020 German carmaker BMW warned customers in August not to charge its plug-in hybrid cars because of a fire risk with batteries. In October the initial 40,000 recalls were topped up by a further 27,000. The 3, 5 and 7 series, Mini Cooper Countryman and i8 were among other models using lithium batteries made by Samsung.

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August 2020 Ford recalled more than 20,000 Kuga Plug-In Hybrids due to battery safety concerns. In some instances, faulty batteries overheated when charging, causing fires. Ford referred to its recall as a ‘Safety Action’.

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 53

OBITUARY: DON GRIBBLE: FEBRUARY 10, 1936 TO NOVEMBER 18, 2020 The founding editor of Batteries International passed away in November. As a pioneer of electric vehicles he led the first, ultimately unsuccessful charge into the sector. But he left a legacy that extended to more than just the creator of this publication.

The battery, the essential key to a new EV world

Bottom left: Graduation day: 1957. Bottom right: Mary and Don, two years ago at the Tower of London.

54 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Don Gribble, almost the last figure of a generation of battery giants that dominated the industry some 30 years ago. Unlike the other greats who achieved fame through academic, technical or commercial prowess, Gribble is best remembered as the founder and firstmover of Batteries International — a magazine that would bring a fragmented and divisive battery industry sector together. Oddly for a man who spent most of his career in the administrative and technical side of things, one of Gribble’s earliest jobs after obtaining a degree in metallurgy was as a journalist on Engineering, a well respected magazine. When he left in the mid-1960s he was the editor of the Metals and Materials section. In 1960 he met his the lady who was to become his wife, Mary. It was a chance meeting — Mary and her friend had tossed a coin to see whether they would go out that evening to the Young Conservative club or Scottish dancing lessons. She lost and it was the visit to the club. She met Don, and the rest is history. Family legend is that later that evening, with Don as a partner Mary played cards so badly that she made an indelible impression. In any event, the two were hooked. They were to remain together for a lifetime. In May 1962 they married. Children followed quickly. Their first, Nick, was born the following March. Fiona came in January 1965 and Jonathan in February 1968. With a growing family to support, Gribble decided to put the world of less well paid journalism to one side. He decided to concentrate on increasing his earning power. His first step was to act as an adviser to the Aluminium Federation, the trade body, and then in 1972 he joined the Lead Development Association — better known nowa-

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OBITUARY: DON GRIBBLE: FEBRUARY 10, 1936 TO NOVEMBER 18, 2020 “It was clear that much of EV technology, from accurate battery monitoring to the motor and drive train, already existed. The main requirement was for an effective battery as the power source, a subject which matched Don’s expertise.” days as the International Lead Association — where he was manager for battery activities until 1978. Realising the power journalism can have, in 1975 he came up with the idea of publishing Lead Power News to help serve the association. Before we go further, Gribble’s life at this point needs to be put into a larger context. The late 1960s and early 1970s were an exciting time for modern technology. There was a growing feeling that everything would, one day, finally become possible. It was the age when Boeing decided to only make a few of the new 747s — “we’re expecting all planes to fly supersonically” — they even said at the time. In Britain there was talk that its future was to be forged in the “white heat of scientific revolution”. One television programme in the UK called Tomorrow’s World attracted weekly viewing figures of 10 million — roughly one in four of the adults at that time. Electric cars were just part of its remit. And EVs were one of the sexiest parts of this revolution. In the US, for example, pioneers such as Robert Aronsson attracted huge publicity with his Mars II vehicle, which drove 2,200 miles between Detroit and Phoenix complete with fast charging along the route. This was going to be the future. And a future coming very soon. Gribble followed the seemingly meteoric rise of the hype around the electric car with fascination. Moreover his work at the LDA had put him, substantially, at the heart of the electric vehicle industry.

Furthering a career

In 1979 he moved on to become director of the Electric Vehicle Association of Great Britain — strangely enough an organization that had been put together in the 1930s — and supported by the Electricity Council. It was a bold decision for him, given that at that time there were about 48,000 electric vehicles in the country, but they consisted almost entirely of milk floats and distribution equipment

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Hugh Cullimore in 1979, who later said: “Don and I were acutely aware that EVs were going to be a key technology of the future — all the more so after the oil crises of the 1970s and 1980s. We realised too that batteries would be an essential part of that future.”

such as forklift trucks. The number of electric cars actually on the roads could probably be counted on both hands. Or perhaps a couple more. It was here that he met Hugh Cullimore, who was to become a close friend and long-time associate for some 40 years. Cullimore, a former technical journalist with IPC turned public relations consultant and later to prove capable of much, much more, joined EVA as press officer and was involved with Gribble’s new publication for the EVA — Drive Electric — which came out in 1979. “Reading the magazine it was clear that much of EV technology, from accurate battery monitoring to the motor and drive train, already existed,” says Cullimore. “The main requirement was for an effective battery as the power source, a subject which

matched Don’s expertise.” Gribble had his work cut out for him at the EVA. There were rival factions competing for funding and projects. Moreover as the 1980s unrolled it was becoming clear that the electric vehicle revolution had stalled. “Don and I were acutely aware that EVs were going to be a key technology of the future — all the more so after the oil crises of the 1970s and 1980s,” says Cullimore. “We realised too that batteries would be an essential part of that future. “The trouble was that we were 40 years too early.” Drive Electric was limited by being an association newsletter. In early 1985 it was decided to relaunch it as Electric Truck & Vehicle World and — crucially — supported with advertising. The title proved popular with readers and advertisers alike, but it did little to energize the larger industry. The problem was the market. For Gribble, head of the EVA in the late 1980s, times started to become tough. The EVA — a creature of its time but also ahead of its time — was in difficulties. Any dreams of popularizing the electric car were proving difficult to substantiate. The launch of the Sinclair C5 — a one person battery electric car (of sorts) — in January 1985 proved to be a huge flop. Membership income was dwindling and Don, who now had a long experience in the battery world, was increasingly relying on consultancy work to support his family through his work at the Lead Development Association. Now in his mid-50s, his future prospects for work had started to look bleak. Gribble wondered if there was something else he could do. At this point Cullimore and Gribble put their heads together. We knew the real issue challenging EVs was the development of suitable batteries,” says Cullimore, “The industry deserved a publication that addressed this.” “In the US there was The Batteryman, which was well liked but generally regarded as lightweight,” Gribble later

Gribble had his work cut out for him at the EVA. There were rival factions competing for funding and projects. Moreover as the 1980s unrolled it was becoming clear that the electric vehicle revolution had stalled. Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 55

OBITUARY: DON GRIBBLE: FEBRUARY 10, 1936 TO NOVEMBER 18, 2020 WHAT’S IN A NAME? Gribble and Cullimore spent time wondering what they were going to call the magazine but the solution presented itself in a simple analysis of what the content was going to be. “It wasn’t about energy as such, nor was it about cars — though automotive batteries was going to be a huge part of its remit — but it was simply going to be about batteries,” Gribble later told this editor. “And since I didn’t want it to be a UK title, especially as those were the years when we finally saw the end of British battery manufacturing, it had to be an international one. “Batteries International seemed to say it all.”

From the beginning it was a strange triumvirate that made Batteries International work: Gribble working in a rented office a few hundred yards from his house; Mary, his wife, selling subscriptions to the magazine in the afternoons (and doing so amazingly well); while Cullimore, working from his PR consultancy office in Surrey, had added a new position to his work load as advertising manager for the new magazine.

His son, Nick, driving the electric go-kart Don made for the family in 1974.

said. “And there was also a technical journal that was over the heads of most of the business. “There was a market gap.” Gribble spent time talking with Cullimore about setting up the magazine as a partnership, with Gribble having the controlling stake in the firm. As anyone involved in publishing can tell you, setting up a magazine from scratch is an enormous task. The immediate question is the product itself. How many pages is it going to be? Who will be the intended readership? What is the so-called URP (unique readership proposition)? What kind of stories will one run? What kind of features will fit your URP? What kind of writing style will it have? And from these basic questions a host of other questions immediately arise — from the balance of the story mix to the relationship the

Drive Electric was limited by being an association newsletter. In early 1985 it was decided to relaunch it as Electric Truck & Vehicle World and — crucially — support it with advertising.

56 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

magazine would have with advertising and, of course, the commercial relationship it was to have with editorial integrity. Oddly enough, although these are vital questions for a magazine, the fact is that publishing has to be a commercial business. And all the normal logic behind setting up a business have to be addressed. For a start-up magazine the biggest problem is invariably cashflow. There are two main revenue streams for a magazine — advertising and subscriptions. Advertisers never like to pay in advance — especially for a start-up issue — and then only when they see the distribution. Subscribers aren’t likely to pay up front for a magazine that they have yet to see. One advantage Gribble and Cullimore did have, however, was that they had a huge database from their previous media work. The first issue of Batteries International incorporated their previous title ETV World. It could have been very hard but a combination of two factors helped Gribble turn his plans for the new magazine into reality. The first was £5,000 ($7,000), a legacy from the death of his mother. This allowed him the cushion of time to get the magazine ready before invoices were paid. The second was plain luck. At Cullimore’s insistence Batteries International reached for, and then grabbed, a new stream of advertisers in a totally untapped sector.

www.batteriesinternational.com

OBITUARY: DON GRIBBLE: FEBRUARY 10, 1936 TO NOVEMBER 18, 2020 It was unexpected that the response would be so strong but vital to the fledgling magazine’s success. From the beginning it was a strange triumvirate that made the magazine work: Gribble working in a rented office a few hundred yards from his house; Mary, his wife, selling subscriptions to the magazine in the afternoons (and doing so amazingly well); while Cullimore, working from his PR consultancy office in Surrey, had added a new position to his work load as advertising manager for the new magazine. Gribble and Cullimore were to work together for six years until Gribble sold the magazine in 1994. Cullimore would stay on until the turn of the new century, working for the new owners. Both said they’d been amazed to find that several of the advertisers paid in advance. “I was cashflow positive from the outset,” Gribble later recalled. “The magazine filled a niche in the market and by the end of the first year it had provided me with a living.” Part of the success also came from the fact that he was both a clear thinker and a clear writer. “Writing came very naturally to him,” says Cullimore. “On other titles that we worked on together, you could easily see his writing style — he could condense technical material into an easy flowing piece of copy.” In an interview with Batteries International a couple of years ago, he said he remembered with fondness his early struggles to get the magazine recognised — he even tried to interest the Lead Development Association into taking a stake. “If they’d done so, their investment would have paid for itself several times over,” he said. Gribble, through a chance meeting with a Chinese businessman organizer called Zeli Wang, saw that China was going to be a huge market for his subject matter — and also a fresh stream of revenue for his fledgling magazine. Over the next years he was to produce about a dozen copies of the magazine in Chinese that were sent to battery makers and distributed at exhibitions and conferences in the People’s Republic. It was not just China that was interested in the contents of the magazine. By the second year it could claim to have subscribers in 75 different countries — a facet of its business that continues to this day. But after six years of running the

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magazine, Gribble called it a day. A City publishing house known as Euromoney was interested in the title and he was minded to retire, “while I still had life enough in me to enjoy my retirement”, he said. The sale of the magazine in 1994 provided him with a lump sum and a pension that lasted him well. His retirement years were happy ones. After fulfilling a two-year takeover period while a new editor took control, he pursued his many hobbies. He was an accomplished self-builder and single-handedly added extensions — complete with electrics, plumbing and even sash windows — to their house in Hindhead. He, his wife and family spent much of their time in a cottage they bought in Dozulé in northern France. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gribble, a man with an eclectic past, turned out to be a more than competent French speaker. If Don Gribble were to look back on a full and varied life, he would be bemused at the legacy he created. Batteries International is now in its 32nd year, having taken on a life of its own from its first year of publication. It became an almost instant success under Gribble’s editorship. The baton of editor was passed on to Gerry Woolf and then to Mike Halls to provide a magazine that continues to serve the battery markets. Don Gribble was well liked and admired for his candour in addressing industry issues. It is hard to imagine seeing such a figure emerge nowadays. He leaves behind Mary, his wife of 58 years, three children and five grandchildren.

Above: a recent shot with youngest son, Johnny and Mary; Fiona’s award of a PhD in 1998. Below: on one of many holidays in France with Mary.

He was an accomplished self-builder and singlehandedly added extensions — complete with electrics, plumbing and even sash windows — to their house in Hindhead. Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 57

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2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Eric Honkamp, sales manager for Cellusuede, reflects on the positives — quality family time, moving ahead with virtual technologies and a successful acquisition.

‘The good, the bad and the ugly’ Well, we’ve made it to 2021! But 2020 was like the 1966 Clint Eastwood movie “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”. Let’s start with the Ugly. Cellusuede Products’ sales went down 80% in April and 45% in May. This was due in large part to the closing of the auto manufacturers. Moving on to the Bad. Although we’ve recovered nicely, 2020 ended up — as I am sure will be the case with most of us — but down overall over the year before. We will just put an asterisk next to this year in the history books. The in-person conferences, trade shows and meetings with personal conversations have also been dearly missed. And now for the Good! Along with the quality time spent with my family, I’ve been able to spend quality time in the office due to extraordinarily little travel since March. It has been a valuable lesson learned in increasing the use of virtual technology and digital advertising. I’m sure I will not be alone with the thought that this will be used much more in the future, even after regular travel resumes. Through all of the adversity, Cellusuede Products has this summer completed the acquisition and 100% ownership of Engineered Fibers Technology (EFT). This addition will position us for growth into newer and emerging markets as we provide highly technical short-cut fibers. We are now able to offer nano-fibrillated fiber to lithium-

“Through all of the adversity, Cellusuede Products has this summer completed the acquisition and 100% ownership of Engineered Fibers Technology. This addition will position us for growth into newer and emerging markets as we provide highly technical short-cut fibers.” ion separator manufacturing along with our current pasting fibers. The Cellusuede/EFT team and I are grateful for the support of our wonderful customers in the lead-acid battery industry. Although deemed an “essential business” through the various mandated shutdowns, it is evident and heartening to have us all pull together and work through these issues.

“As for 2021, I believe we have come out of this stronger, wiser and more empathetic to all customers, suppliers and even our competitors.” www.batteriesinternational.com

As for 2021, I believe we have come out of this stronger, wiser and more empathetic to all customers, suppliers and even competitors. Cellusuede/ EFT will continue to strengthen the relationships with our current customer base while strategically forging new partnerships with our expanding product offerings. The year to come should be strong for energy storage and the lead-acid battery industry and all of us here at Cellusuede/EFT are excited to be a part of it. If not before, I look forward to seeing everyone in September at the BCI in San Diego!

Batteries International • Winter 2019/20 • 61

2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?

‘Adapt and survive … keep calm, safe and carry on’ As years go 2020 will certainly be memorable for many reasons. After a relatively normal start we all experienced a sense of shock and then foreboding as the global pandemic took hold.

e watched with trepidation as China and then Italy bore the brunt of the initial wave, knowing it would spread. And it did, with a vengeance. From a business perspective the phrase ‘adapt and survive’ has been the approach taken by the lead and lead battery industries, and indeed associations. Everyone moved into crisis management mode, working out how to maintain manufacturing safely and how to keep staff as secure as possible. In essence, how to keep calm and safe, and carry on. That’s exactly what happened and it is a credit to the industry and the lead battery value chain as a whole that most companies managed to adapt, and many went much further supporting their local communities and essential services. It was the business equivalent of a handbrake turn, as almost everything became virtual: meetings, conferences, events all took place online and meetings in cyberspace became something of an artform as we mastered new meeting etiquette – from backdrops to virtual handraising. While our industries kept calm and carried on, so did the legislative juggernauts with new regulatory activity, much of it emanating in Europe resulting from Green Deal policy objectives. This included important milestones related to the EU End of Life Vehicles Directive, Batteries Regulation, Occupational Exposure Limits for Lead, Lead Metal Classification for Environment, and several EU REACH Restrictions. Looking ahead, and in the face of this blizzard of red tape, we will

62 • Batteries International • Winter 2019/20

“Looking ahead, and in the face of this blizzard of red tape, we will continue to defend and promote our industry and the important products and services that rely on us.” Andy Bush, managing director, ILA continue to defend and promote our industry and the important products and services that rely on us. The winds of change look set to continue in 2021 as political momentum grows in favour of swifter action to tackle climate change, decarbonize industry and society and development of a new EU chemicals strategy for sustainability. As political efforts gain speed, the demand for lead batteries will, according to most analysts, continue to grow. Even at a conservative estimate we are likely to see growth of around 2% a year as demand for rechargeable battery energy storage keeps pace with political imperatives.

Key to the battery industry’s future is, of course, innovation. The work of the Consortium for Battery Innovation will be pivotal as it brokers more projects ushering in more advances in lead battery performance and lifetime. Meanwhile lead’s role in a range of other industries – while on a much lower scale – will also enter the spotlight as officials from the EU Chemicals Agency ECHA consider whether lead metal should be included on their list of substances subject to ‘Authorization’. Working with downstream users we will be showing how lead in batteries and a wide range of applications — from aviation safety to cables linking offshore windfarms — really does matter in a modern, low carbon, and competitive economy. This goes hand-in-hand with an industry determined to demonstrate that we are both essential and responsible. We will continue to work together with our partners in Europe and North America to play our part helping to tackle informal and dangerous recycling practises in low and middle income countries, adopt responsible raw material sourcing policies and to ensure continuous improvement in company environment, health & safety performance. We’ll be working with NGOs, and organisations including Unicef, to deliver improvement projects, and educate governments and regulators on practices necessary to tackle the issue. And of course we all hope that in 2021 we will meet again — in person — duly vaccinated and batteries recharged.

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2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?

‘Our output and sales have doubled since 2019’ Zhao Zhanjun, head of battery firm Separator Technology (BengBu) Company gives the view from China, one of the first countries to get the Covid pandemic under control and our self-awareness, has achieved success and the spread of Covid has been put under control.

Zhao Zhanjun Separator Technology (BengBu) So, what were your impressions of the year gone by? 2020 has been an unusual but highly dynamic year — a year that demonstrates Chinese entrepreneurs’ duties and responsibilities. Not only must we help each other, but we must do our best to help our friends and customers abroad to fight the plague that is the virus. The Covid pandemic has changed our way of life. In China, our joint and sustained efforts, the strictness of our measures

How has your business fared? Our business and operations weren’t affected by the pandemic. Rather the contrary, our output and sales increased by more than 100% over 2019, benefiting from our excellent quality and services. Our separators’ ultra-high porosity 62%-72%) high, electrical resistance (30%-40%) lower than and antioxidation 20%-30% higher than those of the same backweb thickness from traditional competitors, These three critical characteristics for good batteries are good reasons for more customers to choose us. U*PRO, our ultra-high porosity PE separators applied for EFBs have achieved huge success by technology innovation. We are the opposite of traditional competitors’ theory of lower electrical resistance is achieved only by a thinner backweb, our thicker backweb still has lower electrical resistance. We are the only company in the world that has the technology and ability to produce separators with

0.3 mm backweb thickness with only around 40mΩ·cm² electrical resistance. These successfully solve the problems of a shortened life of EFBs and batteries for heavy duty trucks. They are hot sale and the demand for them keeps growing beyond our expectation. Are there lessons to be learnt from the experiences of 2020? What are your plans for the year ahead? How do you see the new year playing out for your business and the industry as a whole? The situation of 2020 makes us realize that technology advancements won’t stop — even though unexpected events can disrupt other parts of our industry. This process will continue in the coming years. For ourselves, it is our focus on technological innovation which leads to yet newer products that will be developed from our existing product lines. As a new generation PE separator manufacturer, technology advancement is the driving force for and plan to lead the evolution in battery technology as well.

“I think we’ve seen the worst of the economic downturn but I’m concerned about the health of our workforce” So what were your impressions of the year gone by? How has your business fared? What were the highlights and lowlights? The highlight of 2020 was our company’s team approach to the pandemic. Everyone adapted, covered for one another, and “went

64 • Batteries International • Winter 2019/20

the extra mile.” When orders fell, our production workforce redeployed to capital projects. For most of our staff, it was a personal choice to work from home and most split their time between home and office to maintain a safe environment. > continued on page 64

Terry Murphy Hammond

www.batteriesinternational.com

For the challenges ahead...

2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? > continued from page 62

My hat’s off to our IT staff as our business systems have allowed new working arrangement to function smoothly. How was your sector of the industry affected? The pandemic has been a rough patch for most, and we were no exception. We reduced salaries, offered a voluntary severance program, and took out a PPP loan. I think we’ve seen the worst of the economic downturn, but I remain concerned for our workforce because reported Covid cases are surging as we enter the traditional cold and flu season. Are there lessons to be learnt from the experiences of 2020? We learned that in a crisis without precedent, political pressures may cause various levels of government to impose disruptive restrictions without sufficient consideration of their unintended and sometimes counterproductive consequences. That’s just humans acting under great stress. On a brighter note, I hope one lesson learned is that society continuously depends on an installed base of lead battery back-up for our communications and emergency services. Lastly, what are your plans for the year ahead? How do you see the new year playing out for your business and the industry as a whole? As the pandemic has exposed systems fragilities, I see lead batteries playing a significant role in areas such as moving our electrical infrastructure into a micro-grid, distributed architecture. This would mitigate requirements for large-scale transmission, improve system resiliency, and provide storage for renewable energy—all while reducing total CO2 emissions.

As the pandemic has exposed systems fragilities, I see lead batteries playing a significant role.

66 • Batteries International • Winter 2019/20

‘Thank heavens this year is OVER’ Doug Bornas, president of MAC Engineering is glad that 2021 is going to be a strong year ahead.

Doug Bornas MAC Engineering

o start with my impressions for 2020, it was a year that will forever be etched into the memories of millions and millions of people. A year that started off with great optimism derailed in a heartbeat by a life threatening virus that paralyzed an industry, a country and a world in its wake. While people had to take precautions like never before, to people frightened about getting the virus, to see people dying all over the world, this virus caused panic and confusion with debilitating effects. While all this was going on, businesses were failing at an unprecedented rate, companies were struggling to survive, and workers struggling to make enough money to pay their bills. My lasting 2020 impression will always be ‘Thank heavens this year is OVER’. Covid 19 caused many battery manufacturers to close down temporarily or reduce production in the early part of the epidemic. As a machine supplier to the battery makers, once they slowed down all future projects were put on hold. This had a tremendous effect on

our business as companies were no longer looking at purchasing new equipment, rather looking to get by and back up and running. Fortunately for us companies still needed to purchase spare parts to keep their existing lines running and this did help us to a point. As far as lessons to be learned from Covid and 2020, we have all had many long days and months to think about this one. To say we should have all been better prepared for this really isn’t fair. The US hadn’t seen anything like this since 1919 so to prepare for something that none of us were alive the last time it happened is just hard to imagine. As a company, our immediate focus was on survival and still supporting our customers whenever they needed help or had issues. We took steps to keep our plant open, to keep our employees as safe as possible, all the while continuing production so our customers could count on the parts or machines they needed to weather this storm. We needed our customers to survive, our customers needed us to survive, in a way we were brought closer together through this tragedy. It was a common enemy that everyone could relate to and one that everyone was affected by in some way, shape or form. Lesson learned 2020, now hopefully we can close the book soon and move on. We are looking forward to a rebound in 2021. One thing we continued in 2020 was our R&D. We have several new and exciting machines coming to the market in 2021 and are excited to unveil them. We kept up all the R&D as best we could because we knew coming out the other side of Covid the companies that were going to survive and hopefully prosper needed to be ready to go. We expect 2021 to be our ‘Go’ year for us in this industry.

www.batteriesinternational.com

2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Claudia Lorenzini, Microporous’ vice president for sales and marketing gives a personal and business perspective to 2020. It’s been a rough ride she says

‘And next year? We’re optimistic — there is no other way’

Claudia Lorenzini Microporous’ vice president for sales and marketing

arly in 2020 when the news about the new virus popped up in Wuhan, nobody expected what was going to happen later — how deadly the virus was going to be and how fast it would go and spread around the world. In just a few weeks it was astonishing to see how much it had affected our lives, our families, our colleagues and our industry. Some of our customers have learnt the hard way what the supply chain really is about. When it hit Europe, and orders dropped, we had no contingency plan

68 • Batteries International • Winter 2019/20

or forecast in place to go ahead. We introduced new short-time programs for maintaining production at a minimum, keeping our workforce safe and not losing skilled people. We learnt to home-office where possible for employees and at home we all became teacher, mum and dad and food provider at the same time. I’ve missed seeing my customers, most of whom I’ve known for many years, I’ve missed hopping on a plane to different places. It’s likely I will need to learn again how to pack my luggage! However, on the other hand, my kids enjoy seeing me, after 15 years it’s the first time for 10 months in a row. The same goes for my husband, the first time in almost 20 years we’re both at home, and we are still married!! In Microporous, we suffered several unscheduled shutdowns until August. Then all of a sudden, the market returned with an unexpected order load for the automotive market and material handling industry business improved as well. Well, that was before the second wave, but that affected our industry less, although it was much worse in numbers of infections and deaths versus the spring wave. And next year? We are optimistic, there is no other way.

And then, besides Covid-19 and the efforts to reduce cost, ensure safety of our people and still keep our business running, in Brussels “The Framework Regulators” continue their work setting out the guidelines for the future of our business. If a 30-year-old is applying for a job I am asked: “Will I still have a job here in 10 years”? Of course, I tell them, there’ll still be a job, there is no way that lead batteries are disappearing. In the meantime, I am trying to get to grips with the implications of words such as “Horizon 30”, “WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure)”, “Carbon Footprint”, the “Green Deal”, and last but not least the “Battery Passport” and what they mean for our industry. While news of an effective vaccine is certainly positive, it will still take time to get our normal life back. Meanwhile, car producers have decided to stop making the cars that we like to drive — just so they can follow these new regulations. So we find ourselves in the situation of sitting at home during the lockdown explaining to our sons, who love Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear and The Grand Tour that they will have much less fun in the future when they will be old enough to drive.

In the meantime, I am trying to get to grips with the implications of words such as “Horizon 30”, “WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure)”, “Carbon Footprint”, the “Green Deal”, and last but not least the “Battery Passport” and what they mean for our industry. www.batteriesinternational.com

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2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Thorsten Peters, group sales director for Penox Group reflects a year that has been challenging for its lead oxide business but successful with its battery additives.

‘Almost back to normal business conditions in Q4’

Thorsten Peters Penox Group

or PENOX Group, as for most companies, 2020 has been a very challenging and difficult year. The firm was particularly hit by a massive volume reduction on lead oxides in the second quarter, a slow recovery in Q3 and almost back-tonormal business conditions in Q4. To balance out the negative side of the lead oxide business, PENOX has had a very successful year 2020 with battery additives! On both our 4BS microsulphate TBLS+ but also on PENOX expander mixes, our customers portfolio grew well thanks to the quality of our products and services, achieving even better sales in terms of volume than in 2019. During the second quarter of the year our PENOX team worldwide — Germany, Spain, Mexico and Korea — were able to control expenses, reduce

70 • Batteries International • Winter 2019/20

working capital, avoid any Covid-19 cases and still maintain high level of flexibility and responsiveness to any potential turnaround in the market. In Q4 PENOX was able to gear up capacities to satisfy additional demands and will finish 2020 about 20% to 25% below 2019. Despite a severe control on operating costs, PENOX continued its strategy of investing further in our R&D department in Germany with state-of-the-art testing devices and new production equipment. We completed our competent team of battery experts in order to provide our customers new additives enhancing significantly the performance of current lead acid batteries and allowing for significant active mass savings. PENOX continues to believe in massive growth in demand for energy storage and the evolution of automotive industry requirements. Lead acid battery technology still has a great future but the industry has to develop the next generation of lead batteries having greater performance and longer lifetime, still with full recyclability and economic competitiveness. With our customized expanders, our full range of red lead grades, our TBLS+ with its micronized 4BS seeds and the entire product mixes PENOX can supply you, PENOX is

the innovative partner you look for to improve the performance of your battery and make it more competitive! Charge your battery with PENOX materials!

Despite a severe control on operating costs, PENOX continued its strategy of investing further in our R&D department in Germany with state-of-the-art testing devices and new production equipment.

On both our 4BS microsulphate TBLS+ but also on PENOX expander mixes, our customer’s portfolio grew well thanks to the quality of our products and services, achieving even better sales in terms of volume than in 2019. www.batteriesinternational.com

our new strip caster technology raises the bar on strip quality The Wirtz strip caster is production ready and produces the highest quality dross free strip. A patent pending, completely enclosed lead delivery system is the key to our high quality strip.

The as-cast strip thickness can be varied simply by changing the feed nozzle and adjusting the casting roller positions to produce as-cast thicknesses between about 0.200 inch (5.0mm) and 0.470 inch (12.0mm). Our rolling mills can also make minor adjustments to the ﬁnal rolled thickness “On the Fly” during operation so the Wirtz strip casting system produces the highest quality strip in the most ﬂexible system.

Our completely enclosed lead delivery system delivers molten lead from the furnace into our patent pending feed nozzle without any exposure to the atmosphere. The lead feed nozzle distributes lead to the casting wheels without any turbulence for consistent grain sized, dross and impurity free high quality strip. There is no dross generated anywhere in the process. The caster is easily started, runs automatically with little-tono operator intervention, and can be stopped and restarted very easily during production runs. It was designed to take very little floor space. We understand grid and plate making. We developed and patented the grid surface “Reforming and Texturizing” to improve paste adhesion to the highly corrosion resistant wrought strip punched grid. Our steel belt pasting developments revolutionized plate making by holding exacting tolerances at high pasting speeds, and our patented “On the Fly Thickness Control” gives operators the ability to adjust plate thickness to be during operation. Call Wirtz to produce the highest quality strip and punched grids and pasted plates in the world at +1 810 987 7600 or email us at sales@wirtzusa.com.

INNOVATION. PERFORMANCE. RELIABILITY.

IRELAND — DS3 AND GRID STORAGE

Opportunities on the Emerald Isle Although its grid is smaller than those of other EU markets, the island of Ireland has managed to set a course for its growing energy storage market, but there are challenges that have to be navigated. Ireland has plenty of wind resources to tap, and onshore wind power has now become one of the island’s cheapest forms of electricity. Developers are also setting their sights on offshore wind capacity, which points to wind making up a greater and greater share of the power mix. This will improve the island’s energy security, reducing reliance on fossil fu-

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els and lowering carbon emissions, but it will mean that grids will need more flexibility and resilience because of the nature of non-synchronous penetration. In September 2020, industry association Energy Storage Ireland (ESI) published the results of a survey of its members, revealing a 2GW pipeline of 54 projects at various stages of development.

Almost 700MW of the projects are at an advanced stage and looking to come online in the next 12 to 18 months. The projects are part of a DS3 (Delivering a Secure Sustainable Electricity System) programme, which was ignited by a set of studies back in 2010 — the ‘All Island TSO Facilitation of Renewables’ studies, and aims to in-

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IRELAND — DS3 AND GRID STORAGE

Emerging need for longer duration batteries Opportunities for longer duration batteries should emerge, thanks to falling battery costs and price trends in the power market.

crease the amount of renewables in Ireland’s grid. The studies were carried out by EirGrid, the transmission system operator for the whole island of Ireland, working withits subsidiary SONI (System Operator for Northern Ireland). By 2018, 14 services were included in DS3, all to maintain resilience in

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“Opportunities for longer duration batteries, up to two hours, could emerge but the market isn’t quite there yet, it could be from 2024 onwards. We can already see the GB market moving to two-hour duration, but this requires many more modules compared with a battery with a half hour duration,” says Statkraft grid manager for Ireland Bernice Doyle. “The system also needs the same import connection as export so that it can recharge more rapidly. In current systems, batteries can inject power rapidly into the grid for balancing services as they don’t need to discharge too much — these are shallow cycles,” she says. Nigel Reams is the co-founder of energy storage developer Lumcloon Energy, which has the largest storage portfolio in the country, with 100MW in Lumcloon and another 100MW project in Shannonbridge. “Longer term there is an opportunity for batteries to earn revenues from provision of system services and also arbitrage and energy balancing,” he says. “The combination of more renewables on the grid, impact on energy prices and falling battery and storage costs will unlock more opportunities for new batteries to come online from 2023-2024 onwards.” “The future is longer duration energy storage, such as two or more hours rather than the 30 minutes shorter duration systems, which are optimised for the fast responding DS3 services,” says Samuel Harden, chair of ESI. “Longer duration storage can be deployed to alleviate constraints and further reduce curtailment, as well as play a greater role in energy trading arbitrage and balancing the system, as well as providing frequency response.” The DS3 market is well designed, so could allow batteries to execute a range of different services and revenue streams. “It incentivizes services by valuing speed of response and incentivizes

them when the grid requires them, such as times of high levels of renewable generation. Storage assets are then free to search for wholesale and arbitrage opportunities outside of these.” Harden points to similar approaches by other grid operators that are helping to allow grid batteries to provide multiple benefits and value streams. “In Italy, the TSO Terna, for example, only requires 1,000 hours of storage a year, which can free up batteries to earn revenues at other times,” he says. Harden says ESI would ideally like Ireland’s market for energy storage to develop in a way that incentivizes where value can be added, as other markets have begun to do. “For example, incentivizing storage to co-locate with new renewable capacity, which can deliver a number of benefits, the most obvious being reduced grid development costs. “Storage and renewables are becoming more and more competitive and cheaper than other forms of generation. In some US states we’re starting to see solar tenders which pay more for projects with energy storage as a component, because it is still cheaper compared with building more standalone solar capacity and having to ramp up fossil fuel generation to cover the peak when solar generation drops off but demand kicks in.”

“The future is longer duration energy storage, such as two or more hours rather than the 30 minutes shorter duration systems, which are optimised for the fast responding DS3 services” — Samuel Harden, chair of ESI

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IRELAND — DS3 AND GRID STORAGE the power system as more renewables came onto the grid. EirGrid said it expected batteries to offer reserve services, such as fast frequency response, primary and secondary operating reserve. The system as a whole is viewed by many as one of the most sophisticated grid services markets in the world. But there are problems. Obstacles “The main issue is that we want clarity on what is going to happen after 2023. There is going to be an ongoing need for more flexibility in the system, and storage, but it is not clear in terms of how much and what framework will support it,” says ESI chair Samuel Harden. “We are fairly confident that there will be something to replace the current DS3 arrangements, but we’re not sure what.” While in the UK there is no limit to the number of grid connection offers that DNOs can make, in Ireland the enduring connection process (ECP) caps the number and type of offers. “In the first ECP round (ECP-1), the volume of offers was capped at 1GW with about 400MW of this prioritized for storage, which was seen as a clear acknowledgement by the TSO that storage needed to be connected to the grid with some urgency. Most of the 692MW of the capacity in advanced stages came via ECP-1,” says Harden. “The second round of grid connection awards, ECP-2, which closed recently, did not prioritize storage and in fact limited the number of offers for system services, which reflects the fact that there is currently sufficient storage being developed, albeit to meet demand through DS3 services.”

“What we are trying to do is work with various stakeholders, including EirGrid, to move beyond the mindset that storage is only good for providing fast response grid services” — Samuel Harden, ESI chair However, without any of the prioritization that happened in ECP-1, timelines for grid connection works can be lengthy for storage. “What we are trying to do is work with various stakeholders, including EirGrid, to move beyond the mindset that storage is only good for providing fast response grid services,” says Harden. “For example, we know that as grids see higher penetration of windgenerated electricity, especially Ireland’s grid, which is not as well interconnected as other grids on the EU mainland, then curtailment and congestion issues increase, which energy storage can alleviate.” Harden says storage can provide multiple services and earn its keep in different ways in a renewables-heavy market, where more flexibility is required, and not simply be limited to providing fast response grid services. “Two technologies — wind and storage, for example — cannot share a grid connection, so you have to have separate MWs for wind and separate MWs for battery storage, which could act as a barrier to hybrid projects from

getting through the grid connection process. This has been one of our key issues to address in our workstreams with EirGrid,” Harden says. He says that engagement with both EirGrid and the regulator has been good. “There’s good dialogue and feedback from both. DS3 is one of the most advanced grid services systems in the world. Consultations are now focusing on 2023 to 2030.” As more non-dispatchable renewable electricity comes on line, without energy storage and demand side response to provide the necessary flexibility in the system, it will be more expensive and carbon-intensive to rely on conventional generation to provide the reserve and system services, he says. “We are presenting energy storage technology as the best value solution to provide the required flexibility through avoiding the costs that would otherwise be incurred through increased curtailment as more wind is added and the cost of running fossil fuel generation, as well as delivering savings in terms of carbon emissions. “Energy storage is a clean resource. Savings are in relation to the cost of grid operation as energy storage is the most efficient mechanism for providing these.” Chasing the wind Gore Street Energy Storage Fund has a 160MW portfolio of battery projects in Ireland, valued at £77 million ($100 million), in the DS3 programme. “We saw lots of players developing and acquiring wind projects, such as Statkraft, and saw that energy stor-

“There’s good dialogue and feedback from both. DS3 is one of the most advanced grid services systems in the world. Consultations are now focusing on 2023 to 2030.” — Samuel Harden, ESI chair

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Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 75

IRELAND — DS3 AND GRID STORAGE age would follow this wind buildout, because the grid operator would need to contract for services to provide grid balancing and stability,” says Gore Street Energy Storage Fund chief executive Alex O’Cinneide. “The capped market in mid-2019 definitely helped seed the market for storage in Ireland and attracted a lot of competition.” The projects comprise two 50MW facilities in Northern Ireland, in Drumkee in County Tyrone and Mullavilly in Armagh, plus two 30MW plants in the Republic of Ireland, in Portersdown, County Kildare, and Kilmannock, County Wexford.

“The capped market in mid-2019 definitely helped seed the market for storage in Ireland and attracted a lot of competition” — Alex O’Cinneide, Gore Street Energy Storage Fund chief executive All the projects are expected to be operational by 2021, O’Cinneide says. “In the uncapped market we’ll be moving assets from one service to another, making tactical decisions about how best to deploy those batteries.” He says DS3 is a high-spec market for energy storage in terms of availability of assets and speed of response.

“In global terms EirGrid is imposing a very high bar to obtain a very highquality service. “This places us in a good position as we expand into other markets, such as the US, because we own assets that are capable of meeting high-spec grid service products with our business models.”

Starter for Statkraft A portion of the 21MW of energy storage online in Ireland is an 11MW battery owned by Norwegian energy company Statkraft. The battery is installed on the same site as a 23MW onshore wind farm at Kilathmoy on the Limerick/Kerry border in the south-west Ireland. Statkraft partnered Fluence to deliver the storage, with battery modules produced by LG Chem. According to Statkraft grid manager for Ireland Bernice Doyle, the reserve services are suited to short-duration battery assets, typically with a 30-minute duration, which can also provide reactive power. She says realistically there will be about 400MW of capacity for storage under the DS3 uncapped volume market, which could potentially increase to 500MW. “It’s not going to be a massive market.” She says Statkraft wants to be involved with batteries to deliver its

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renewables ambitions where it plans to build out 6GW of wind and solar by 2025 in markets that include GB, Ireland and others in Europe. “In markets like Ireland, storage is going to be a key enabler to help reach renewable energy targets. If you don’t have enough storage you have to curtail. Storage is going to help us reach our target but also manage curtailment levels of the generation asset,” says Doyle. “The Kilathmoy battery is going to provide us with knowledge of how to do some things in practice. Though it is a 30-minute battery, we’ll use it to figure out issues as we go along so that when it is time to build more battery capacity we’ll have gathered expertise.” The battery went live in April 2020. “What’s interesting for us ‘techno geeks’ is seeing how it

is responding. Most are under frequency events, so very short and shallow responses. The longest we have seen is less than 10 seconds. The dynamic response is relative to the frequency event so it is going low but is not quite maxed out. In general the battery is sitting, ready and doing what it should be doing,” says Doyle. Statkraft has a portfolio of sites around Ireland, which Doyle says will be built out when the time is right. She thinks post 2023, when the DS3 programme ends, there will be an investment hiatus under the current market framework.

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HYDROPOWER + BATTERIES Pumped hydro has been a long staple of the energy storage markets. It can harness spare generating capacity at all times of the day and provide power that can be tapped at the opening of a valve. But it is limited in what it can do. Moreover, the sector’s development has been stunted by neglect. A fresh look — using batteries — is offering unexpected benefits.

Making a bigger splash Although it has long been far out in front of the rest of the field when it comes to global energy storage capacity (with more than 94%), recent growth in the pumped storage hydropower (PSH) sector has stagnated, says the International Hydropower Association. A lack of policy and financial incentives for new developments, as well as environmental considerations, are to blame — and now, with two major initiatives, they are being addressed. “While significant amounts of variable renewables are placed on to grids and ageing thermal plants retire, pumped storage development remains almost stagnant,” says the Londonbased IHA. “Outside China, the world’s largest pumped storage producer, year-on-year installed capacity growth has been just 1.5% since 2014. “This has been due to a combination of factors, including a lack of under-

standing or awareness about PSH’s capabilities, complex permitting arrangements, and outdated market and regulatory frameworks that fail to provide appropriate incentives for development. Investment decisions are now needed urgently.” The increase of renewables such as wind and solar has been widely hailed as answering the need for less burning of fossil fuels, but their lack of inertia and volatility means they will never be the complete answer. Hydro, the oldest renewable energy resource, can fill that gap — but it needs to be updated in order to do so. “Hydro is an existing, proven, flexible technology but there has to be a focus on bringing it online to meet the needs of the evolving energy mix,” says David Samuel, senior hydropower sector analyst with the IHA. “By 2050 there will be a drastic emphasis on renewables and decarboni-

EU WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE AND HOW BATTERIES COME INTO PLAY In 2000 the European Union launched the Water Framework 2000/60/EC, which shows ‘how hydropower can be made to operate in accordance with the requirements of the Habitats and Birds Directives’. New projects must meet a raft of regulations such as river basin management, flood and water flow management to protect flora and fauna that can be affected by changing water levels, water temperature changes (which are often noticeable during peak discharge periods and which certain species cannot survive) and dams. This affects the levels of water permitted in reservoirs and how quickly the levels can be changed — and if batteries can take up the slack, this can be addressed,

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smoothing peaks and troughs without compromising power, says Andritz Hydro marketing director Jens Päutz. The Directive also says that modernizing existing plants is preferable to building new ones, and by combining batteries with old facilities this ticks that box too. Andritz is even hopeful that the technology could provide a home for second-life lithium batteries when they are no longer fit for EV use – once there is a market available, says Päutz. “For the time being there are no second-life batteries available but in the long term that could be an answer — you need a second market for the battery and long term this could be a potential one,” he says.

zation and there’s a real need to modernize the services that hydropower already provides and improve it even more.” Before the sector gets caught napping, the IHA and the US Department of Energy have launched two major initiatives to bring the technology up to date — an International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower and a raft of demo technologies all looking to innovate the world’s water batteries. Launch of international forum For the first time in the pumped storage hydropower sector an international forum has been launched, bringing 11 governments and 60 other organizations together to work out how to tap hydropower’s potential as a ‘clean, green battery’. Under the umbrella of the IHA and US Department of Energy, the governments of the US, Austria, Brazil, Estonia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Morocco, Norway and Switzerland gathered together this November with financial institutions, NGOs and energy companies to put PSH at the forefront of policies to cement the technology’s leading position in global storage and make sure it stays there. Energy companies involved include the likes of SSE, GE Renewable Energy and EDF; international funding banks include the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Asian Development Bank; and agencies include IRENA, the IEA, and GEIDCO — the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization. In a wide-ranging programme to prepare for an ‘upsurge in pumped storage developments’ and also to improve existing capacity, the forum will spend 12 months exploring regulation/permit and investment barriers; sharing best practices; examining new market mechanisms; assessing differences between regions and opportunities; working out incentives to development; and learning from other sectors.

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 79

HYDROPOWER + BATTERIES BATTERY BENEFITS Batteries in combination with hydropower plants can: • Extend lifetime by reducing mechanical stress • Expand opportunities to enter energy markets • Offer flexible storage — peak shifting • Up to 25% extension of operation range • Be installed in existing plants.

FURTHER DEMONSTRATIONS Other XFLEX HYDRO demonstrations being run alongside that in Vogelgrun in north-east France, all of which are monitored by Andritz’s new Smart Power Plant Supervisor software: Portugal • Alto Lindoso (630MW) — To evaluate the cost of converting the plant to variable speed turbines • Alqueva (520MW) — To demonstrate the use of hydraulic short circuit operation (where pumps can be operated at the same time as the turbines) • Caniçada (70MW) — To assess potential of enhanced system integration of full-scale frequency converter technology • Frades 2 (780MW) — To demonstrate hydraulic short circuit operation, variable speed units and smart controls France • Grand Maison (1,800MW) — To demonstrate hydraulic short circuit, new turbine runners and automation techniques at Europe’s largest PSH plant Switzerland • Z’Mutt (88MW) — To demonstrate variable speed turbine with smart controls to provide greater flexibility.

The forum has been divided into three main focus areas — Policy and Market Frameworks, which will be led by GE, a big turbine manufacturer; Capabilities, Costs and Innovation, led by mechanical engineers Voith Group; and Sustainability, led by energy firm EDF. It will meet three times — the first meeting was held virtually on November 3 — between now and September 2021 to update and give progress reports. “IRENA (the International Renewable Energy Agency) has said that pumped storage hydropower needs to nearly double by 2050 to meet ambitious global climate targets. The good news is that there is massive potential, with 600,000 potential off-river sites identified, plus opportunities for modernizing existing plants,” says Eddie Rich, CEO of the IHA. “Over the next year, the forum’s partners are expected to exchange good practices and agree proposals to clear the way for an upsurge in pumped storage developments while also looking at ways to improve the sustainability and efficiency of existing facilities.” XFLEX HYDRO battery hybrid trial The other major initiative that has been launched this year by the IHA thanks to €18 million ($21.5 million) from the EU is XFLEX HYDRO, in which 19 partners are working on seven projects in three countries in an effort to modernize and improve what hydropower already offers (see separate box on facing page). The projects are all demonstrating technologies such as variable speed turbines, hydraulic short circuit operations and a battery hybrid, which is an example of an early trend that has appeared in Europe’s northern regions — of hydropower facilities incorporating conventional lithium-ion batteries with PSH plants to enhance their performance and save wear and tear on the turbines. With 23,000 hydropower plants in Europe, according to the EU, the potential for battery makers could be vast. Of these plants, the vast majority

— 91% — have less than 10MWh capacity each. The rest, just 9% of plants, generate 87% of all hydropower. EDF’s master of engineering, JeanLouis Drommi, is working on the XFLEX HYDRO project’s battery hybrid. It has been installed at the Vogelgrun 142MW run-of-river power station on the Rhine, on the border with France and Germany. It generates about 776GWh of electricity a year, which supplies 200,000 households, and its four Kaplan turbines have been in service since 1959. Now a small 600kW/300kWh battery has been added to work with one of the turbines to add storage and high-duty power supply to increase its grid frequency control capability and reduce the wear and tear on the turbine. “As long as the maintenance cost of the turbines, avoided because of the battery, is greater than the cost of the battery you have to replace, then you make a profit,” says Drommi. “This is a new perspective to hydro, using a battery to reduce the wear and tear on the turbines — which when they are spinning with constant power, are fine. But they wear when the water flow has to change. “Because of the non-regulated renewables, the so-called non-dispatchable renewables — solar and wind — you have to take the sun and wind as they come, so it means the grid frequency has to be adjusted in real time almost, with the sun, the clouds and the wind. “Therefore, this led the grid operators to ask for a new product — fast frequency regulation. Traditional power generation — thermal and hydro — is not able to respond with speed as fast as ten seconds, so this is where batteries come into play, because they can respond in less than a second, and this is why they are jumping into this market. “But to put a battery system on the grid you need a grid connection point, and these are scarce, expensive and difficult to obtain because you need a switch of high voltage, quite costly equipment — but the beauty is that with hydropower, we already have

“By 2050 there will be a drastic emphasis on renewables and decarbonization and there’s a real need to modernize the services that hydropower already provides and improve it even more.” — David Samuel, senior hydropower sector analyst with the IHA

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HYDROPOWER + BATTERIES these connection points to the grid. The same point can be used by the battery system.” Drommi says so far, they have found lithium-ion batteries to be the best compromise between cost and life expectancy, but they are not the only option. “They are expensive and although their price is decreasing, nevertheless when coming to other options for frequency and pure storage we are looking at zinc-air batteries. “They are better for a solution when cycling is not the main purpose of the battery, it’s storage.” HyBaTec battery solution Andritz Hydro is also working on the XFLEX HYDRO battery hybrid demonstration at Vogelgrun, having already developed its own solution. Part of the Austrian plant engineering group Andritz AG, the Andritz Hydro subsidiary supplies electromechanical systems and services for PSH plants all over the world, claiming global installations more than 30,000 turbines (with a total power capacity of more than 420GW). The firm has come up with what it calls a HyBaTec battery solution for the hydropower industry, which integrates a lithium-ion battery with the plant and its control system to extend the lifetime of the turbines and optimize revenue by offering grid services. This is one of the keys to the future in making hydropower profitable, says Andritz Hydro marketing director Jens Päutz. “If you’re only participating in base load you have a very bad tariff,” he says. “Hydropower is in most cases a base load application, but if other renewables like wind and solar take over the market and hydropower is left in the background, all the units will find it challenging to operate in frequency control. “Before, you operated the unit and the level of flow control, but today if you are working in frequency control and try to support the grid for a better tariff, then you have up to 3,000 movements per day, which is mechanically stressing the unit. “Also, in the developed market you have more opportunity to participate in the primary, secondary and frequency control markets, but in most cases the mechanical inertia of the hydropower unit is not as quick as the grid quota or contractual need for participating. “In Austria, for example, if you want

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to participate with 1MW in the primary control market, we have to supply that 1MW within 30 seconds. In most cases hydropower units are not capable of handling that. You are over stressing the unit as the inertia is blocking it. “The battery in combination will cover that missing link and can very smoothly support that, especially with primary control, where the battery can be used to deliver very fast additional guaranteed power to the grid in case of need. “With secondary control, the battery can be used to respond as soon as the grid requests it, the turbine can be started slowly and not have to operate at very low load — which helps with the lifetime of the turbine.” They can also step in when blackstart is required, eliminating the need for emergency diesel generators, he says. Early promise for batteries No one is suggesting that pumped storage hydropower has a competitor in batteries, whatever chemistry they are. But they could have the potential to bring the old workhorse up to a thoroughbred class. “Where batteries come in is not for bulk storage applications,” says Samuel, at the IHA. “This is where pumped hydro is in a league of its own. At the moment it has top spot and in the next few years that won’t reduce significantly. “One of the problems with batteries as grid support is that they have only synthetic inertia, whereas the turbines in a hydropower plant provide natural inertia to give the grid a level of stability that it needs to withstand shocks or variability on the system. “However, where batteries are good is that they can provide quick, fast response — and battery capacity is going up per project. But in terms of cost there’s a long way to go compared with hydro on a macro scale.”

Päutz says Andritz’s HyBaTec solution is one of just a handful of projects — such as XFLEX HYDRO — that are beginning to explore the feasibility of batteries in this environment. “We are one of the first to try to offer this solution, and we are just starting ourselves,” he says. “There are a few projects in the market, mostly realized by the operator or owner themselves. The technology is only making small steps … but we are opening the door.”

“This is a new perspective to hydro, using a battery to reduce the wear and tear on the turbines …Traditional power generation can’t respond so quickly, this is where batteries come into play, —they can respond in less than a second. ” — Jean-Louis Drommi, EDF

XFLEX HYDRO project led by EDF, using a lithium battery with the hydropower plant at Vogelgrun

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HYDROPOWER + BATTERIES

Battery/hydro hybrid case studies Italian multinational electricity generating firm Nidec ASI has taken up the hydropower/battery combination challenge, with projects in Sweden and Austria.

Case study: Sweden Nidec ASI is supplying two systems at two sites, a 6MW installation in Edsele and a 9MW installation in Lövön, both owned by energy producer Uniper, which owns gas, nuclear, coal and hydro plants in Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Hungary and Russia. It produced 12.7TWh of electricity from hydropower in 2019, which came second to gas in the country at 60.2TWh. The Edsele and Lövön power plants will provide fast frequency reserve service to Swedish grid operator Svenska Kraftnät, and combining hydropower with battery storage will enable Uniper to operate the turbines in the hydroelectric plants more steadily, helping to preserve their operational lifetime. The Lövön battery was being installed at the time of going to press. Laurent Gagneur, battery energy storage system sizing and energy management system engineer with Nidec France,

Case study: Austria Nidec has provided a battery to the Austrian electricity firm Verbund, also the largest owner of hydropower plants in the country, at a hydroelectric plant in Wallsee-Mitterkirchen, on the River Danube. The battery, which has been operating for about two months, provides 10MW (8MW primary control plus 2MW output for charging management)/14.2MWh storage. It is Austria’s largest battery installation to date. Verbund’s goal is to aggregate the battery with hydropower plants within its pool of these plants. While the turbines can provide the primary control power service on their own, integration with the battery limits the stress on them. Like other markets, Austria is seeing increasing levels of solar and wind generation, which is increasing the need for

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says combining hydropower with batteries potentially opens up more grid services that the hybrid plant can provide, increasing revenue opportunities. “By integrating each source with each other it can also be mutually beneficial, in terms of helping to optimize the operational lifetime of the battery system but also the hydropower plant’s turbines,” says Gagneur. The goal is to find the sweet spot for the systems to perform and operate as a hybrid plant, compared with running them as individual assets. “During the commissioning phases for these projects we have a certain degree of freedom because we needed to understand how hydroelectric plants operate and how the battery storage system will work when coupled with it,” says Gagneur. “There were lots of discussions about how to couple the technologies as we embarked on the projects. We’ll be able to see how the hydropower plant and the BESS operate and behave during the commissioning phase and then adapt.” He says another important part is the specification set by the transmission system operator for the services the hybrid assets will be expected to meet. “They have to perform by achieving a certain dynamic responsiveness to the grid and how they integrate must also ensure this is met. “That meant we had to work out how the turbines would work with the batteries and achieve the best operational sweet spot for both systems but also in relation to the TSO’s grid services.” more flexibility, compounded by the closure of thermal power generation — Austria closed its last coal-powered power plant in April. The ‘BlueBattery’ at Wallsee-Mitterkirchen, comprising 61,000 lithium ion battery cells in modules that are housed in five containers, will show how the hydropower/battery combination can help provide flexibility and maintain security of supply. When the grid needs primary control reserve for short periods, the BlueBattery releases energy and is recharged directly by the hydropower plant. In exceptional cases, when frequency deviations are too great, the plant’s turbine supplies primary control. Together, the combined storage system and hydropower plant capacity can provide the Austrian grid with a total of 16MW of primary control power. The battery installation is part of a much wider overhaul and upgrade of the 210MW run-of-river hydropower facility at Wallsee-Mitterkirchen, which sits between upper and lower Austria. The plant is more than 50 years old. Each of the facility’s six turbines and rotors are being renovated in an extensive programme of works that will be complete by 2026. Renovations include repairs to turbines due to wear and tear, new transformers and works to the generator and switchgear. Each rotor is 11 metres high and weighs more than 200 tonnes.

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BATTERY HEROES: FAURE Camille Alphonse Faure was the 19th century electrochemist who made the commercialization of the lead acid battery achievable, writes Kevin Desmond

The neglected hero who made the modern battery possible

He returned to Paris, one month after the opening of the 1889 Universal Expo. He exhibited one of his batteries and was awarded the gold medal To the inventor the glory. To the genius of the engineer that made the invention work, a footnote in the world’s history books. So too when one looks at the origins of the lead acid battery we automatically think of Gaston Planté and his remarkable achievement in 1859 of creating the first rechargeable lead battery. But we then tend to neglect the

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work of Camille Alphonse Faure, the man who took the lead battery to the next level and made it fit for purpose. Plante’s battery, to put it bluntly, was extraordinary in conception but primitive in execution. Although they could generate large currents over extended periods of time, they were huge, heavy and difficult to move around.

Faure’s lead-acid batteries were smaller, better made and lighter. They were immediately seized upon by his contemporaries as providing the basis for electric transport. Four years after Faure’s 1880 patent was released, an Englishman, Thomas Parker, pioneered the first production electric car. Faure was born on May 21, 1840 in Vizille, a small but busy town in the south-east of France. He was a studious boy with a passion for chemistry and his parents sent him to the Ecole des Arts et Metiers at Aix, where he did brilliantly. He got a job as a draftsman first with Peyruque-Cousin in Toulon and then with J. Chrétien in Paris, and became particularly involved with the Great London Exhibition of 1862. Returning to Paris, he published a report about machine tools. Having learned English at the Philotechnical Association in Paris, on Chrétien’s recommendation, Faure returned to London in 1866. Here he worked for Debergue & Company, big English manufacturers of machine tools. He was clearly a valuable asset to the firm and was even sent to Russia on a protracted commercial mission. From around 1872, it was while examining a Leyden jar battery with nitric acid built in London by instrument manufacturers Elliott Brothers that Faure began to think about improving electric batteries. From 1874 until about 1880, he worked as a chemist at the new factory of the Cotton Powder Company at Faversham, Kent, England. While there, he and the factory manager, George Trench, took out patents for Tonite (a new high explosive) (1874), and an improved dynamite detonator (1878). Following a visit to the Paris Exposition of 1878, Faure had the idea

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 85

BATTERY HEROES: FAURE for his secondary battery. Assisted by his life-long friend and patent attorney Dominique-Antoine Casalonga, Faure’s key patent was taken out on October 20, 1880, N° 139,358: “Improvements to galvanic batteries and their application to electric locomotives”, which he modified several times in January 1881, October 1881. It was the birth of a new battery that would lead in the end to the automobile revolution. The breakthrough was a curing mechanism. Lead plates were coated with a paste of lead oxides, sulphuric acid and water, which was then cured by being gently warmed in a humid atmosphere. The curing process caused the paste to change to a mixture of lead sulphates, which adhered to the lead plate. During charging the cured paste was converted into electrochemically active material (the “active mass”) and gave a substantial increase in capacity compared with Planté’s battery. A secondary battery that could be recharged and used again and again was now in a form that it could be adapted to other applications. One of the very first to make use of Faure’s battery was the Parisian inventor Gustave Trouvé, who in April 1881 used these batteries to test out

the world’s first electric tricycle. Modifying an English CoventryRotary tricycle, its two smaller wheels were each driven by a little 5kg motor: a Faure battery of six accumulators gave the current; the weight of the vehicle raised up to 160kg, and gave a speed of 12 km/h. “Behind the seat and sitting on the axle, a rough, newly fashioned wooden box contained six secondary batteries. These accumulators were quite similar to those of Gaston Planté and actuated the motors,” said a report at the time. Encouraged and sponsored by M J Chrétien, Camille Faure and his brother Jules teamed up with Nicolas Raffard, an engineer working for the company “La Force et La Lumière”. Raffard and his colleague Edmond Julien were looking for a battery powerful enough for the prototype electric streetcar they were constructing for the Paris General Omnibus Company. Faure’s battery was an answer to prayer — 225 Faure cells, weighing more than two tons, were screwed down under the car’s seats. This cumbersome car had steerable front axles, which allowed it to be run off the rails for short distances. They were unable to demonstrate it at the 1881 Electric Exhibition in

A secondary battery which could be recharged and used again and again was now in a form that it could be adapted to other applications

One of Thomas Parker’s early cars outside the family home in Staffordshire, England. Thomas is in the middle and on the back seat is possibly his son Alfred.

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Paris because of a delay in repairing the dynamo. But the following year, additional tests were operated with the number of battery cells increased to 375. On one trip the car ran from the workshops to Versailles and back without the batteries being recharged. Even before electric traction had proved itself, business treachery was interfering. While Simon Phillipart and Faure were over in England setting up an English company, Volckmar and Phillipart Jr abused the trust placed in them by trying to sell off certain patent rights without the approval of the directors. Simon Phillipart set up the English Faure Co with Sir William Thompson as consultant. They began with manufacturing in Liverpool in April 1882, and Volckmar and Phillipart’s erring son joined forces with John Sellon, of the Anglo-America Brush Co, who had obtained provisional protection for a pasted type plate. This differed from that of Camille Faure’s, in that the active material was pasted into a grid instead of being held by a felt wrapping to the surface of a plain roughed lead plate. The weakness of Faure’s design had been that the red lead applied to the lead plates was so friable that vibration would cause it to lose its grip and fall to the bottom of the battery container, electrically shorting the positive and negative plates. Sellon also acquired from Joseph Swan, the English light bulb inventor, a method of keying the active material by punching holes in the plates, so providing a battery purchase for the red lead. Their Electrical Power Storage Company (EPS) was formed in March 1882 to manufacture the Swan-Sellon-Volckmar accumulator. At first, the British Faure Co tried to discredit the EPS Co, claiming infringement of patent rights developed by discharged employees. The fledgling battery industry already seemed to be in trouble before it had even got under way. In May 1882 the Faure Co abandoned its threat of litigation and patent rights were given by the Faure Co to the EPS Co through a mutual exchange of shares. By 1883 no fewer than 11 concerns were engaged in the manufacture of Faure accumulators. These ranged from La Force et La Lumière of Paris; Faure Electric Accumulator Company of London; Force & Power Co of www.batteriesinternational.com

BATTERY HEROES: FAURE New York; the French Metropolitan Electric Carriage Co; EPS of London; India and Oriental Electric Power Storage Company — and even the Australasian Electric Light and Power Storage Co. Following litigation in the US, the two American companies combined to become the Electric Accumulator Co of New York. Camille Faure, now just in his early 40s, decided to pursue other challenges. In 1883 he set up a trial factory at Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, in the Ile-deFrance region, for the manufacture of aluminium using an electric kiln. By 1886 he had invested 200,000 francs into research and development of the project. In September 1886 he sailed to the US to work for an American offshoot company of the London-based EPS. He returned three years later to Paris, one month after the opening of the 1889 Universal Expo. He exhibited one of his batteries and was given the gold medal. But Faure the chemist was more interested in the manufacture of low cost aluminium, the mass production of nitrate for agriculture and in particular that of chlorine. He took out patents for the treatment of alkaline chlorides by electrolysis and in electrical batteries for alkaline salts. From 1897 the French Post Office, as directed by the forward-thinking under-secretary of state for Posts and Telegraphs, Léon Mougeot, had been looking for a way to replace horsedrawn mail vans with mechanical transport. Mougeot had even been trying out Serpollet steam railcars to collect letters from post boxes on the line between Creil and Beauvais. Charles Jeantaud, the French engineer, exhibited one of his parallelogram steering electromobiles with a motor by Zenobe Gramme and battery by Camille Faure, calling it “L’auto-poste” at the Paris Motor Show, but it attracted little interest During the 1890s, Faure applied himself to a whole range of inventions. Among them was the development of internal combustion engines for automobiles, including motor vehicle steering systems, and motorcycles, but also the use of cyanate as fertilizer, a device for sterilizing water in living apartments either by using permanganate of potassium or by using an electric jet to submit tap water to an intense centrifugal force.

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He also envisaged building a factory using the hydroelectric power from the gorges of the Dauphiné Alps to use an electric furnace to manufacture a new improved lower cost nitrate fertilizer. Camille Faure died suddenly on September 14 1898 at his home in Paris, aged only 57. He left behind him his widow, Amalia Maria Francesca Bandinelli, his seven-year old son, Camille Jules, who died in the Great War, but also a lead battery legacy that lasts to this day. His official biography in the CNRS

(Centre National de la recherche Scientifique) written by his patent attorney Dominique-Antoine Casalonga, ends with an extraordinary tribute to him. “Rewards, distinctions, the gratification of wealth meant little to him. But the legacy that he left behind him was such that the battery design he created was a masterpiece — and that one thing alone will keep his name alive in the memory of men.” Sadly, if that only were the case for a man mostly lost to history who had such a powerful influence on the modern world.

The breakthrough was a curing mechanism. Lead plates were coated with a paste of lead oxides, sulphuric acid and water, which was then cured by being gently warmed in a humid atmosphere. The curing process caused the paste to change to a mixture of lead sulphates which adhered to the lead plate

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 87

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Disruption to the events programme As the 2021 events season gets underway, battery and energy storage industry, hosts and organizers are struggling to decide whether to go ahead with events that have been in the diary for months, if not years. When this issue was released, and with the situation changing on an hourly basis, a variety of energy conferences and meetings have been postponed or hosted online. While we have taken every effort to ensure these details are correct, please contact the conference organisers with any queries, or check websites below and throughout the listings. NAATBatt 2021 Virtual Annual Conference

International Zinc & Zinc Oxide Conferences

Energy Storage Summit

February 8 – 11

March 2 – 3 NEW DATE

February 23-24 & March 2-3

V Virtual Event NAATBatt International promotes the development and commercialization of electrochemical energy storage technology and the revitalization of advanced battery manufacturing in North America. Advanced batteries will power the new technologies of the 21st Century. NAATBatt 2021 will examine the evolving markets for advanced batteries, new advances in battery technology, and the prospects for developing a robust North American supply chain. At NAATBatt 2021 attendees will meet the leading companies in North America working in advanced battery technology and hear about their efforts to make North America a center of advanced battery technology and manufacturing. Contact NAATBatt International Tel: (312) 588 0477 Email: info@naatbatt.org www.naatbatt.org

V Virtual Event The 2021 International Zinc Oxide Industry Conference is being held in conjunction with the International Zinc Conference, providing a unique opportunity to learn about new research and market trends. Both conferences offer excellent opportunities for building business relationships and networking with colleagues. The conferences can be booked individually or as a package. Contact Zinc International Association https://www.zinc.org/2021-internationalzinc-zinc-oxide-conferences/

V Virtual Event

NEW DATE

The Energy Storage Summit, now in its 6th year is renowned for its quality, breadth and expertise, featuring an allencompassing range of strategic and technical sessions on the adoption and deployment of storage. The Summit plays a pivotal role in the journey to propelling the industry into the next stage of its development, providing an unrivalled platform to develop the right partnerships and create business opportunities of all sizes. This eco-system event brings together the entire value chain including Utilities, Developers, EPCs, Investors, Manufacturers, Energy storage providers, local government and DNO’s making this one of the must–attend storage events for 2021. Contact Solar Media www.storagesummit.solarenergyevents.com

ACI’s Battery Recycling Europe February 19 – 20 NEW DATE London, UK The conference will bring together Battery Recycling industry experts, collection scheme operators and battery manufacturers to learn, share and discuss the current and emerging topics in the Battery Recycling industry. ACI’s Battery Recycling Europe will also showcase future opportunities in the Battery Recycling Market and blend together inspirational keynotes, informative sessions, and wonderful networking opportunities. Contact ACI — Active Communications International www.wplgroup.com/aci/event/battery-recycling-europe/

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Stay in, but stay informed: Many events have been successfully hosted online during lockdown.

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11th International Conference on Lead-Acid Batteries

LABAT’2021 Virtual conference 8-11 June 2021

LABAT is a globally recognized scientific forum for leading battery experts and researchers, from both academia and industry, to discuss the state-of-the-art and outline future development trends and new applications of lead batteries. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES Technical sessions focused on the latest research achievements and developments in the field of lead battery technology and operation ● Exhibition offering a perfect opportunity for promotion of new products and services ● Gaston Plante Medal presentation ceremony ●

LABAT’2021 MAIN TOPICS ● ● ● ● ● ●

Fundamentals of Lead Battery Electrochemistry Innovations and New Materials for Lead Batteries Battery Management Systems, State-of-Charge, State-of-Health Advances in Lead Battery Technology, Manufacture and Recycling Enhanced Lead Batteries for Automotive and Energy Storage Applications Modelling and Simulation of Lead Battery Systems

IMPORTANT DATES Paper proposals (lecture/poster) & short abstract submission Early bird registration & extended abstract submission

31 January 2021 31 March 2021

HOSTED BY

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT

Lead-Acid Batteries Department, Institute of Electrochemistry & Energy Systems (IEES), Bulg. Acad. of Sci., www.labatscience.com

Mrs. Mariana Gerganska - Secretary of LABAT’2021, Tel/Fax: +359 2 8731552 gerganska@labatscience.com

Prime sponsor:

Also sponsored by:

FORTHCOMING EVENTS The Battery Technology Show October 26 – 27 NEW DATE Coventry, UK The Battery Technology Show will showcase the incredible developments happening across the battery and energy storage markets. If you are looking to keep up with the latest news in breakthrough technologies, gain invaluable insight from Key Players in the market, and discover the emerging technologies which are at the frontier of the energy revolution, this is the event for you. Contact Evolve Media Group www.batterytechnologyshow.com

India Smart Utility Week — ISUW March 2 – 5 NEW DATE V Virtual Event ISUW 2021 will bring together India’s leading Electricity, Gas and Water Utilities, Policy Makers, Regulators, Investors and world’s top-notch Smart Energy Experts and Researchers to discuss trends, share best practices and showcase next generation technologies and products in smart energy and smart cities domains. Contact India Smart Grid Forum — ISGW www.isgw.in

Battery Japan 2021

lished itself as the premier event showcasing the state of the art of worldwide energy storage technology developments for consumer, automotive, military, and industrial applications. Key thought leaders will assemble to not only provide broad perspectives, but also informed insights into significant advances in materials, product development, manufacturing, and application for all battery systems and enabling technologies. Contact Cambridge Enertech www.internationalbatteryseminar.com

Intersolar Middle East March 15 – 17 Dubai, UAE. Rescheduled for June 14-16, 2021 NEW DATE

Energy Storage Europe Rescheduled for Spring 2022 NEW DATE Those who would like to get to know the entire world of energy storage, its leading technologies and key-figures, for those there is only one destination: Energy Storage Europe in Düsseldorf. The unrivalled focus on the topic of energy storage can only be found here in Düsseldorf. Only here the entire range of technologies in all its diversity can be discovered: Electrical, thermal, chemical and mechanical solutions. Only here the energy storage of future energy systems can already be experienced today. Contact Messe Dusseldorf www.energy-storage-online.com

Take your chance to join the most powerful platform in the MENA region Middle East Energy (MEE), Intersolar, and ees, the leading energy exhibitions are joining hands to co-deliver an outstanding renewables and energy storage event at Middle East Energy 2021. Renewables and energy storage at MEE is the largest gathering of solar and renewable energy industry professionals in the Middle East & Africa, offering the most effective trade focused platform to international manufacturers and distributors looking to meet regional buyers.

Interbat

Contact Informa Exhibitions & Intersolar www.intersolar.ae/en/home.html

Contact Interbat www.interbat.ru

Rescheduled for March 16-18 2022 NEW DATE Russia’s premier battery event will be held again on March 17 – 19, 2021 in Moscow. For the 29th consecutive year, Russia’s battery storage association — better known as INTERBAT — has brought together Russian and international battery manufacturers and suppliers to meet in this the most prestigious specialized exhibition and trade fair.

March 3 – 5 V Virtual Event BATTERY JAPAN is world’s leading international exhibition for rechargeable battery, showcasing various components, materials, devices, finished rechargeable batteries for rechargeable battery R&D and manufacturing. It is held twice a year in Tokyo (Mar.) and Osaka (Sep.). Contact Reed Exhibitions www.batteryjapan.jp/en-gb.html

International Battery Seminar Virtual March 9 – 11 NEW DATE V Virtual Event As the longest-running annual battery industry event in the world, this meeting has always been the preferred venue to announce significant developments, new products, and showcase the most advanced battery technology. Founded in 1983, the International Battery Seminar & Exhibit has estab-

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Dubai: plays host to the rescheduled Intersolar Middle East in June.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS China International Battery Fair — CIBF March 19 – 21 Shenzen, China

World Future Energy Summit — WFES 2021

Battery Experts Forum

Rescheduled for January 17-19, 2022

Rescheduled for October 5-7

Frankfurt, Germany

China International Battery Fair (CIBF) is an international meeting and the biggest exhibition activity on battery industry, which is sponsored by China Industrial Association of Power Sources. It includes all kinds of activities, such as exhibition, technical seminar, information meeting, trade fair, etc. CIBF2021 provides an opportunity of information and product exchange for domestic and foreign battery enterprises, and makes a great contribution to promoting the integration and development of battery technology at home and abroad.

The annual World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi is the leading global industry event and exhibition for future energy, clean-tech and sustainability. Bringing together government and business leaders, 800 specialist exhibitors and 33,500 visitors from 170 countries, it showcases pioneering technologies and ground-breaking thinking in energy, energy efficiency, water, solar, waste and smart cities.

In order to meet the great demand, the Battery Experts Forum will be taking place in the financial metropolis of Frankfurt am Main. With even more exhibition space, additional capacity in the conference halls and a great backdrop, the Battery Experts Forum is growing in the premises of the Forum Messe Frankfurt. Be there when over 100 TOP experts in the battery industry report on the latest technology!

Contact Reed Exhibitions www.worldfutureenergysummit.com

Contact Battery Experts Forum www.battery-experts-forum.com

Contact China Industrial Association of Power Sources — CIAPS www.en.cibf.org.cn/

Battery Council International Convention & Power Mart Expo — BCI

International Advanced Battery Conference Online 2021

April 24 – 27 Naples, Florida. USA

April 27 – 29 NEW DATE

Rescheduled for Sept 22-25, 2021 NEW DATE Battery Council International’s convention and power mart expo is North America’s premier lead battery event attracting a huge national and international audience of around 600 delegates and some 50 exhibitors displaying their wares at the Power Mart Expo.

Shenzhen, China

Contact Lisa Dry Battery Council International E: ldry@batterycouncil.org www.batterycouncil.org/page/2021Home

V Virtual Event For the first time webcasted live: the annual International Conference Advanced Battery Power organized jointly by Haus der Technik, Essen, ISEA Institut, RWTH Aachen und MEET Batterieforschungszentrum Münster will in 2021 be hosted on a virtual conference platform and meet the networking needs of the community of battery experts in science and technology. The Conference 2021 will again create an exceptional schedule with international key-notes in our usual good spirits presenting up-to-date information on the cutting-edge of technology, the latest research results and forwardlooking concepts. Contact Haus Der Technik E: hdt@hdt.de www.hdt.de

Battcon Hollywood, Florida. USA Rescheduled for November 2–5 NEW DATE Battcon is a high-energy mix of industry specific presentations, panels, seminars and workshops, plus a trade show. More than 600 stationary battery users meet at Battcon for three days of professional development and networking with industry experts and peers. It’s a forum focusing on design, selection, application and maintenance for those in the data center, telecom and utility industries can learn from and network with industry experts.

Abu Dhabi: World Future Energy Summit rescheduled to January 2022

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Contact Vertiv Group E: Events@Battcon.com www.battcon.com

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 91

FORTHCOMING EVENTS The Battery Show Europe Stuttgart, Germany Rescheduled for Nov 30 – Dec 2 2021 NEW DATE The Battery Show is presented in partnership with the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo and together they bring more than 350 International suppliers to Stuttgart. Combined, the two shows make up Europe’s largest advanced battery and H/EV technology trade fair manufacturing solutions across the battery and H/EV supply chain. Contact Informa Markets E: thebatteryshowcs@informa.com www.thebatteryshow.eu

European Graphene Automotive 2021 May 24 – 25 Manchester, UK This year’s conference is set to become the world’s leading exhibition and conference exclusively for graphene researchers and automotive manufacturers to meet and explore new uses of graphene in automotives, and to address the specific challenges associated with the commercialisation of graphene for use in a multitude of new applications. Contact IQ Hub Email: delegates@iQ-Hub.com www.graphene-automotive-conference.com

49th Power Sources Conference June 7 – 10 Jacksonville, Florida, USA The Power Sources Conference is the oldest continually held biennial conference devoted to research and development of power source, energy conversion, power distribution and management technologies for military use.

The conference goal is to bring Government, industry and academic researchers and developers together to discuss advances in power and energy technologies to support the growing power demands of military platforms and electronic systems. Contact Samantha Tola Email: stola@pcm411.com www.powersourcesconference.com/index

LABAT - International Conference on Lead-Acid Batteries June 8 – 11 V Virtual Event Since 1989, the Lead-Acid Batteries Department of Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has been organizing a series of triennial conferences on lead-acid batteries, named LABAT. The LABAT Conference is a globally recognized scientific forum gathering leading battery experts, technologists and academic researchers from all over the world. LABAT’2021 technical sessions will once again offer you an insight into the latest research achievements and development trends in the field of lead-acid battery manufacture, operation and recycling, as well as an indepth discussion of the new challenges facing lead-acid batteries, while the exhibition fair will present a perfect opportunity to showcase your new products and services. Contact Mariana Greganska Tel: +359 287 31552 Email: greganska@labatscience.com www.labatscience.com/conference/index

Munich: ees Europe + Power2drive rescheduled for July.

ees Europe + Power2drive Munich, Germany Rescheduled for July 21-23 NEW DATE Discover future-ready solutions for renewable energy storage and advanced battery technology at ees Europe! Europe’s largest, most international and most visited exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems is the industry hotspot for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and users of stationary electrical energy storage solutions as well as battery systems. In 2021, more than 450 suppliers of products for energy storage technology and systems will be present at ees Europe and the parallel exhibitions of The smarter E Europe taking place in Munich. The exhibition will be accompanied by a two-day energy storage conference where leading experts delve into current questions of this industry. Contact Solar Promotion www.ees-europe.com/en/home

EUROBAT General Assembly/Forum June 17-18 — TBC NEW DATE Brussels, Belgium. EUROBAT is the association for the European manufacturers of automotive, industrial and energy storage batteries. EUROBAT has 52 members from across the continent comprising more than 90% of the automotive and industrial battery industry in Europe. The members and staff work with all stakeholders, such as battery users, governmental organisations and media, to develop new battery solutions in areas of hybrid and electro-mobility as well as grid flexibility and renewable energy storage.

Jacksonville, Florida: Hosts 49th Power Sources Conference in July.

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Brussels: Hosts EUROBAT General Assembly/Forum.

Contact Eurobat www.eurobat.org

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d r o w t s a l e Th Ho! Ho! Ho! That’s not exactly the chortle you’d expect from a forklift truck wandering round a lead oxide plant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (aka North Pole aka the north of England). But that was the Sound of a Secret Santa — aka Steve B and his Hammond Pals — busy the night before Christmas getting ready to deliver hampers to local food banks in the town.

Going, going, gong

Yet another scandal about to rock the UK monarchy. Yes, congratulations to Anthony Price on a well deserved OBE for his work on energy storage. Because of Covid, his gong will be coming in the post…

Given the city’s location in the Arctic wastes — known locally in the Eskimo language as ‘whoop nairth’ (with a silent wh) — the Hammond Team could be seen chasing away the polar bears as their sleighs rushed through the bitter night. …but disgust at BI HQ when it became clear that the Royal Mail had lost five key letters addressed to Certain Key Workers. “I wouldn’t have accepted it anyway,” said one publishing giant. “I couldn’t take anything less than a baroness.”

Mince pies, Christmas puddings, fruit cocktails, sweets and also the bare essentials or Christmas were donated by Hammond — they’d spent six weeks beforehand collecting food and presents — to give to food banks and those impoverished in the local community.

DES RES LOCATION SOUGHT Wanted. Large hotel car parking space for annual convention opening ceremony. Must have scenic views of

Hammond’s Little Helper

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exit doors and signage to other levels. Location: San Diego. Date: September 22. Dress code: Black tie, driving gloves.

Batteries International • Winter 2020/21 • 95

The last word The Secret That Dare Not Speak Its Name No, it’s not the ILA’s obsession with the cheaper varieties of the Sauvignon grape, Andy’s missing years (did he really teach Sumo wrestling in Morocco?) or Maura’s shameful spending sprees in Primark. But we’re talking about ancient history from the association’s Inner Circle — where will the next ELBC be held? The origins of the Secret That Dare Not Speak Its Name can now be revealed. “It lies in the early days of the European Lead Battery Conference,” says Hugh Cullimore, a colleague and friend of the much-missed Mike Mayer who set up the ELBC. “Michael and I shared an office in Chobham during the 1990s. He would never reveal where the next ELBC conference was going to be held until the very last minute…

…“But what he didn’t know was that the travel agent next door always told me where he’d been going!”

I’ve got a great story!!

I’m not an alcoholic. Alcoholics need a drink, but I already have one

Hold the front page! Press releases — where wildly imaginative prose is frequently copied by lazy hacks — are part of the staple of journalistic life. But we did wonder whether who would copy this verbatim. “The global maggot debridement market size is expected to reach USD 19.7 million by 2027 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research.” If you don’t believe, google this “Maggot debridement Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Administration Type (Biobags, Loose Larva); By End Use (Hospital, Wound Care Centers, Clinics & Others); By Application; By Regions; Segment Forecast, 2020-2027” gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth. Certainly gives a dimension to the imagination of some of the battery start-ups we read …

96 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21

The old joke — “A Batteryman walks out of a conference bar before closing time … hey it could happen!” — is finding a new twist. In the absence of finding a welcoming glass or two of electrolyte at the end of a hard day’s networking and with no exhibitions, or airport lounge bars in sight, how is the industry coping? Two tips for the pandemic have been sent in. Stay locked-in at home: “Yes, don’t drink and drive, it’ll spill everywhere.” Avoid face and hand contact at all times: “A glass of wine in each hand does the trick for me!”. www.batteriesinternational.com

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Batteries International, Issue 118. Winter 2020/21

Articles inside

BATTERY HERO: CAMILLE FAURE

EVENTS. All the latest details — and cancellations — of this season’s forthcoming events

THE LAST WORD

NEWS

OPPORTUNITIES ON THE EMERALD ISLE

PEOPLE NEWS

MAKING A BIGGER SPLASH

2020: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

FIRE, FIRE! LI-ION BATTERIES UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN

DON GRIBBLE: 1936-2020

EDITORIAL

LEAD ANALYSIS