Issue 123
Spring 2022
Trailblazers of tomorrow
BCI Innovation Awards in the spotlight Bob Flicker a lifetime in lead with East Penn Viewpoint: Stryten and the new price direction
Unexpected consequences from the Ukraine tragedy US lead industry ... 'just about fit for purpose'
N'S E OM W Bringing the industry together N: O I T www.batteriesinternational.com EN V N CO I BC
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CONTENTS COVER STORY: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
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Batteries International’s cover story looks at the still-untapped wealth of possibilities contained in lead battery technology. Every year BCI invites the industry to submit its own technological and manufacturing advances — both small and large — in advancing the case for their own innovations in the Council’s annual award event. The range of innovations and depth of thought behind them, has been stunning. Their future adoption could be game-changing. 2022 AWARD WINNER AND NOMINATIONS
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Winner: The bipolar battery moves into the home, Advanced Battery Concepts Nominations: • A better gel formation process, Abertax • The battle for the yet better separators, Daramic • Better acid filling, better battery performance, Hollingsworth & Vose • Breaking through the 100Wh/kg power barrier, Meszaros Tamas • Where repetition leads: costs decrease, profits rise, Vivet PREVIOUS WINNERS, 2016-2021
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• 2021: Lead silicate as a performance additive, Hammond Group • 2020: Achieving high DCA with low water loss, Arc Active • 2019: Doubling the cycle life of lead batteries, RSR Technologies • 2018: New bipolar lead battery architecture, Gridtential Energy • 2017: Checking battery health from the cloud’s vantage, NorthStar • 2016: A two-pronged success: LAB2, next gen expanders, Hammond Group PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS, 2016-2021
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• Ever inventive and attentive to detail, Abertax • The joys of bipolar batteries, Advanced Battery Concepts • Recycling without the smelting, Aqua Metals • A safer way to collect and recycle, Battery Rescue Australia • Opening the battery world up to nanotechnology, Black Diamond Structures • A portfolio of inventiveness, Daramic • Battery testing’s next leap forward: rethinking switch mode technology, Digatron
EDITORIAL
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• Further bold moves to remove lead from the air, EnerSys, MAC Engineering • How a composite scrim laminate can extend EFB cycle life, Glatfelter • Mixing impedance and high current testing in one package, CMWTEC • Using algorithms to extend a battery’s life, Pro Charging Systems • Using stratification for best purpose, Mega Amps • Reaping the benefits of better automation, TBS Engineering • The joys of customization, Daramic • Have lead battery, will travel — to travel, Power-Sonic • Recycle batteries in one stop mobile shop, Wirtz Manufacturing • Further refinements for a better BMS, Abertax • How to make the perfect lead oxide, CAM • The hybrid solution for the PESO project, MSE International • Wanted a better charger, better charging regime, Customized Energy Solutions • A breakthrough for tough, industrial batteries, GNB Exide • Tripling power performance through better design, HighWater Innovations • Booster mat for increased DCA, Microporous • A new approach to grid-level frequency regulation, Narada • Doubling the capacity of battery charging rooms, Philadelphia Scientific • The joys of smart grid management, Power Sonic • The return of packaging for dry charged lead acid, Remy Battery • Solving lithium ion dangers in the recycling process, Terrapure • Improving battery formation through better connectivity, UK Powertech • Better ULAB transportation for safer, more efficient recycling, Uniseg Products • Universal battery sizing becomes a software reality, Voltific
Unintended consequences from the tragedy that is Ukraine
Battery Innovator Award • EUROBAT joins Global Battery Alliance • Saft appoints Cedric Duclos as new CEO • ESS Tech appoints Gast to board • Grant to kickstart EU batteries academy
PEOPLE NEWS
NEWS 17
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Randolph takes over as CEO of Ecobat • New global role for Fantoni at Digatron • Tesvolt appoints Koecke as CFO • Ayer chosen as new CEO at H&V • Gridtential appoints Tim Ellis to advisory board • Latest additions to BCI’s Quarter Century Club • Sunlight Group appoints new board members, discusses global leadership plans • Doe Run achieves work safety milestone • German testing lab EBL joins CBI • Doe Run Company wins 2022 BCI Amplify Award • Redwood’s ‘JB’ Straubel receives Shep Wolsky
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Rombat announces record high battery sales and lead recycling • Metair to sell off batteries business, claims shareholder ahead of results • ‘Multiple chemistry’ ESS push for • Stryten Energy in new divisions • Monbat finalizes majority stake deal to expand further in Tunisia • Shake up of maritime transportation rules discussed after sinking of the Felicity Ace • STC confirms Nour battery recycling deal and role in new European facility • Campine bids for Recyclex recycling sites
2022 winner: ABC’s Ed Shaffer 60
2022 nominee Vivet: the joys of repetitive manufacturing 72
2017 winner NorthStar: battery health measured via the Cloud 80
People news round-up
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Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 1
CONTENTS NEWS 17 • Clarios expands recycling with acquisition of Spanish recycler Metalúrgica de Medina • Work starts on UAE lead battery plant and processing operations • ABR highlights role US recyclers should play in powering energy storage future • Ford, Volvo back Redwood Materials’ • Ukrainefuelled energy crisis sparks lead price concerns • International participation in INTERBAT stalls • BCI warns over new emissions proposal • UK university to look at lead pollution by abandoned mines • Work starts on US battery graphite processing plant being launched in Alabama • ENTEK to commission fifth separator line in Indonesia • China in discussions over lead mine investing in Afghanistan • Exide Industries announces plans to invest $800m in lithium manufacturing • Gravita closes Peru-focused subsidiary • Banner Batterien secures €50 million supply deal • EU chemicals authorization likely to trigger battery investment freeze, says industry body • EUROBAT calls for reconsideration of elements in Batteries Regulation • ABC bipolar batteries to be used for EV charging for GreenCore, Kilows • Gridtential in 12V development agreement with Camel Energy to optimize efficiencies RECYCLING NEWS
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• California collection and recycling push • Li-Cycle signs recycling, investment deals with LG Chem and LG Energy Solution • EU batteries supply chain facing looming crisis, recycling needed ENERGY STORAGE NEWS
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• GM launches V2G, V2H power study for PG&E in California • VPP tech firm GridBeyond makes moves into Australian market • Canada Pension Plan invests in Hydrostor for A-CAES projects • Energy Dome, Ansaldo sign ‘CO2 Battery’ storage deal • Gravitricity receives £920k for feasibility study • Invinity agrees vanadium storage deal with Hyosung Corporation • Redflow hails milestone US project, posts further losses but revenues rise • ESS expands European storage business • Reliance Industries’ unit to acquire Lithium Werks • NREL looks for ‘sweet
Publisher Karen Hampton karen@batteriesinternational.com +44 7792 852 337 Editor Michael Halls editor@batteriesinternational.com +44 7977 016 918 Advertising director Jade Beevor jade@batteriesinternational.com Deputy editor John Shepherd john@batteriesinternational.com
spot’ in behind-the-meter ESS • Duke Energy in solar-battery storage first for US utility • Eurocell shortlists sites for first European gigafactory • Italvolt moves ahead with Italian gigafactory project • Northvolt selects Germany for third gigafactory • Envision AESC plans US gigafactory in move to supply Mercedes-Benz • KORE finalizes gigafactory site deal PROFILE 51
A last farewell: Felicity Ace and her fateful EV battery cargo? 20
Celebrating a half century with East Penn East Penn’s multi-skilled, much-liked chief operating officer Bob Flicker is set to retire later this year. ANALYSIS 56 The US lead industry: just about fit for purpose The US in no longer capable of recycling all its own domestic spent lead batteries but it gets by. INSIGHT 84
The much-admired Bob Flicker, stepping down from East Penn 51
Mettler Toledo: Your trusted partner for excellence in the battery value chain! EVENTS 106 Our complete listing of the battery and energy storage exhibitions, conferences and shows for the next six months VIEWPOINT: STRYTEN ENERGY
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How commodity price hikes will spill over to the manufacturing sector BCI: EVENT REVIEW
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Stryten Energy viewpoint: contagious price hikes ahead 115
Brief notes from the hugely successful BCI convention and power mart held this May as it reveals its yet-closer ties with the US DoE THE LAST WORD
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The lighter side of Battery Council International’s meet up in Naples. Cough, that’s Naples, Florida you small-minded, geographically illiterate Europeans!
Contributing editor Frank Millard Researcher, journalist Hillary Christie hillary@batteriesinternational.com
Didn’t you guys know that Naples is in Florida? Hence the ‘gator! 119
Production/design Antony Parselle aparselledesign@me.com International advertising representation advertising@batteriesinternational.com
Finance administrator Juanita Anderson juanita@batteriesinternational.com
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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 • Spring 2022
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EDITORIAL Mike Halls • editor@batteriesinternational.com
What the Ukraine invasion means for the battery business In just a few months Europe’s energy strategy has been turned completely on its head. The main reason, of course, being the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the attendant energy crisis. After Russia attacked on February 24, the reaction from the West was rapid: unprecedented sanctions, a blocking of interbank and international transfers and a huge host of trade embargoes. The economic punishment being meted out was complicated by the fact that Europe was dependent on Russian natural gas. Gazprom, Russia’s majority state owned energy firm, controls the flow of gas to the region. Last year Europe imported around 155 billion cubic metres of natural gas — that’s just under half of Europe’s supply. And let’s not forget that the region imports about 2-1/2 million barrels a day of Russian oil. It’s a straightforward dilemma. The problem for Europe is this: how can it inflict economic pain on Russia without hurting itself? The short-term answer is it can’t. But longer term it’s a different picture, if the right actions are taken. “Forget COP26, forget climate change, forget the circular economy and forget the old plans for the orderly energy transition the EU has been talking about,” one commentator told this magazine. “The new economic instrument of war is going to be found in renewables — and in their corollary energy storage. “Every megawatt of energy storage added to Europe’s reserves is now being priced against every cubic metre of Russian gas sold to the region. One unexpected consequence of the tragedy in the Ukraine is the massive boost to renewables and storage.”
The new economic instrument of war is going to be found in renewables — and in their corollary energy storage.” 4 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
This new way of thinking has affected the whole of the European renewable and storage industry. Pressure to create change is coming from the top of the EU, governmental levels and among businesses rushing to do business. One immediate spin-off is that energy projects are being priced — and subsidized — at levels that would have not been contemplated before the Russian invasion. An orderly, if somewhat all-mouth and littleaction commitment to the energy transition is being turned into something more determined. Indeed, the European Commission, the unelected civil servants that set the rules for the EU, has now recommended that battery storage and renewables projects should be fast-tracked and planning red tape slashed, all in the name of combating a looming energy crisis. At the heart of EU policy changes will be Germany. It has already reduced its consumption of Russian gas to 35% of imports from 55% before the war in Ukraine, but says it needs to keep buying from Moscow at least until next year to avoid a deep recession. But there is, perversely, good that is to come out of the needlessness of this conflict. In its most obvious way it will be the growing independence Europe’s energy security. But there are two other benefits to come for Europe — and the world — arising from this war. The joys of science The first are the scientific advancements we can expect soon. The two world wars of the last century injected a technological fire into the march of scientific progress. Legacies of WW2 include radar, the jet airplane, penicillin and much more. (It also includes nuclear power, microwave cooking and …duct tape!) The interesting thing to note is that many of these legacies had been discovered well before the conflict and had largely been side-lined — Frank Whittle filed his first patent for the www.batteriesinternational.com
EDITORIAL jet engine in 1930, Fleming had discovered penicillin in 1928, a primitive form of radar had been installed on Britain’s coasts in the 1930s. Even a basic electronic computer was being tested well before the code breaking that went on in Bletchley Park. It is almost certain that promising areas of research — think lithium sulfur batteries for example or US Argonne investigations into lead batteries — will move further into the main stream with fast tracked and accelerated budgets. Hydrogen too Looking away from electrochemical energy storage, the future is also looking brighter for the development of hydrogen. The EU is now setting ambitious targets for the production of green hydrogen — created by using electricity from renewable power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules.. The whole process, at present, is a wasteful one. The round trip efficiency is low to start with — some say the efficiency is as low as 20%. The electrolytic process is complicated by water impurities and the splitting of water into the two gases involves energy loss in the process as well as loss in the recombination. Then the costs spiral upwards when the gas is liquefied for distribution and transported to where their combustion is needed. Green hydrogen may be the ideal in terms of environmental impact but other types of hydrogen may be accepted in the race for energy independence. Grey hydrogen — derived from fossil fuels — is five times cheaper than green hydrogen but releases 50% more CO2 than the green material. (And to decarbonize the process you get blue hydrogen, which triples the cost.) Despite its environmentally-friendly image and potential, the global production of hydrogen emits almost three times as much CO2 as a whole country, France, for instance. It’s likely that the EU will have a difficult choice to make here. The political wing of the EU, the elected body by voters that is the European Parliament, will almost certainly vote for energy independence at a cost of meeting climate change criteria. But insiders say that the European Commission will almost certainly ignore that. They will plump for the ideologically pure, if www.batteriesinternational.com
“Every megawatt of energy storage added to Europe’s reserves is now being priced against every cubic metre of Russian gas sold to the region.” costly, green hydrogen. And why not? The Commission itself is above the world of business and public expenditure — every month they ship the whole apparatus of EU governance from Brussels to Strasbourg for a few days as part of a treaty obligation — and will likely stay green and righteous. (Imagine the uproar over the cost if the US moved the seat of government from Washington to New York for a few days every month!) Oddly enough, in the longer term a Commission decision for green hydrogen might prove to be the correct decision and kick-start a new industry. Once again US academic Robert Merton’s Law of Unintended Consequences has shown that what can go wrong, will go wrong and — simultaneously what has gone wrong [the Ukraine conflict] can make things go right. The question now is can Europe harness the wind of change that has blown in from the East and fashion a new energy order out of the chaos caused for the greater future good? Mike Halls, Editor Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 5
PEOPLE NEWS
Randolph takes over as CEO of Ecobat
Pictured (from left): Randolph, Berend and Paredes
Marcus Randolph has been appointed president and CEO of international lead battery recycler Ecobat, the company announced on March 17. Randolph, who will continue as chairman of Ecobat’s board, succeeded Jimmy Herring — who Ecobat said was no longer with the company effective March 16. Randolph said: “I want to thank Jimmy for his years of service and dedication to
Ecobat. He led a significant transformation of the company, including the 2019 restructuring of Ecobat, rebranding of the company and creation of a new leadership team.” Before Ecobat, Randolph was executive chairman of Boart Longyear, a Salt Lake City company and the world’s largest supplier of drilling services and drilling equipment to the minerals industries.
Randolph has also held several leadership posts with BHP Billiton in Australia. Separately, Ecobat announced on April 11 that Scott Paredes had been appointed as vice president of treasury. Paredes previously spent four years as vice president and treasurer at Southwire, the world’s second largest privately owned wire and cable manufacturer in the world. Meanwhile, Chelsey Berend has been promoted to Ecobat’s director of global marketing and communications, the company said on April 13. Berend joined Ecobat in January 2022 as chief of staff, working with the company’s executive committee.
Tesvolt appoints Koecke as CFO German battery storage systems specialist Tesvolt has appointed Philipp Koecke as chief financial officer, the company announced on April 4. Koecke will join the firm at the start of May. Koecke spent a number of years as an investment manager at a technologyoriented investment company before heading the finance department at Solarworld for 15 years. In addition Koecke was also on the boards of the company’s US subsidiaries. Tesvolt co-founder and MD Daniel Hannemann said Koecke “has already closely supported growth in other companies… at the same time, Philipp knows the market of our key business areas very well".
6 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
Tesvolt specializes in lithium battery storage systems for commerce and industry. The company
Philipp Koecke
uses high-performance battery cells from Samsung SDI at its gigafactory in Wittenberg, Germany.
New global role for Fantoni at Digatron Auto industry veteran Marcello Fantoni has been appointed head of global sales and marketing for battery testing and formation group Digatron, the company announced on February 18. Fantoni, who holds the combined role within the group of general manager of Italy-based Digatron Systems, has more than 20 years of experience in the global automotive industry with Fiat Chrysler — and has worked in several senior positions. He entered the energy storage industry in 2015, leading the international sales and marketing operation of a primary industrial group active in engineering lead battery assembly equipment and lithium ion cell assembly machinery solutions, in addition to selling power electronics formation solutions. Digatron founder and chairman Rolf Beckers said: “Marcello is an outstanding appointment and demonstrates Digatron’s commitment for future growth with a strategy to expand the business from the traditional battery laboratory to the plethora of opportunities arising from the EV electrification process for lithium cell manufacturing and testing — and now for our latest technology venture into manufacturing DC fast-charging infrastructure.”
Rolf Beckers (above, right) with Marcello Fantoni
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PEOPLE NEWS
Ayer chosen as new CEO at H&V Battery separator manufacturer Hollingsworth & Vose announced on April 5 that COO Josh Ayer had been chosen to succeed Val Hollingsworth as the company’s CEO. Hollingsworth is stepping down after 24 years in the post — and after more than 40 years with the company — but will continue as chair of H&V’s board. Ayer joined H&V in 2009
as vice president and managing director for the Asia Pacific region, following 10 years at General Electric. In 2015, Ayer became president of the engine and industrial filtration division, taking on the position of vice president and managing director of H&V’s Americas region in 2020. Val Hollingsworth is a sixth-generation member of the Hollingsworth family.
He first joined the company in 1976, working as a night shift supervisor and a production and plant manager. Hollingsworth became president in 1997 and CEO in the following year. During this time, H&V expanded from a mainly regional US business into a global company with 13 R&D and manufacturing facilities across three continents. “We are delighted to be
able to turn to Josh to lead H&V in our next chapter of growth and development,” Hollingsworth said. “He has been an outstanding leader in his years at H&V and will do a great job as CEO. H&V has had several non-Hollingsworth family CEOs in its long history, and we are proud that there are seventh-generation members of our family working for H&V.”
Gridtential appoints Tim Ellis to advisory board Lead-acid battery expert Tim Ellis has joined Silicon Joule battery maker Gridtential’s technical advisory board in what the firm said on January 18 was ‘a real coup’. He will advise the firm on the roll-out of the company’s Silicon Joule battery technology, which is approaching commercial production with manufacturing partners, Gridtential said. Ellis is the former president of RSR Technologies, the R&D unit of Ecobat. Before that he was director of materials research at Kulicke & Soffa, the semiconductor packaging and electronic assembly firm. He has written dozens of scientific papers across metallurgy, semiconductor packaging technology, leadacid battery materials, energy storage and recycling, and holds more than 20 US patents. “If we’re to decarbonize, we need a way to efficiently produce millions of longlasting, high-power batteries,” said Ellis. “Lead batteries offer the scale — they are low cost, highly recyclable and can be produced in today’s battery factories. Now, with Silicon Joule technology, they are lighter and more powerful. It can unlock new applications for
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lead batteries and accelerate the shift to renewable energy.” “It’s a real coup to have him join our team,” said CEO John Barton. “His combination of experience in semiconductor and lead battery materials is the perfect match for Gridtential as we partner battery manufacturers to bring Silicon Joule to market.” Gridtential is one of the
more than 100 members of the Consortium for Battery Innovation. In February 2021, the CBI supported a project between Gridtential and the battery research and testing firm Electric Applications Incorporated, which sought to develop ‘plug and play’ solar-powered energy storage systems specifically for behind-the-meter storage applications.
Tim Ellis
Latest additions to BCI’s Quarter Century Club
Top left to right: Hal Hawk, BCI board director and committee chairman, welcoming Doug Bornas, MAC Engineering; Andy Bush, International Lead Association; Mark Kelley, Crown Battery Bottom left to right: Norbert Maleschitz, East Penn; Antonio Munoz, Acumuladores Duncan, Peter Stanislawczyk, East Penn
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 7
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PEOPLE NEWS
Sunlight Group appoints new board members, discusses global leadership plans
Sunlight’s Xanthi facility and new board members, from left: Gordon Riske, Michel Govaert and Peter Lamp
Lead and lithium battery firm the Sunlight Group said on March 14 it was bolstering the international experience of its board with new appointments, as the Greece-based company aims to become “a true global leader” in the energy storage sector. Gordon Riske has been named as chairman and independent non-executive director. Also joining the board as independent non-executive directors are Michel Govaert, who will also head the company’s audit com-
mittee, and Peter Lamp, who will head the new technology and innovation committee. Riske is a former CEO of the Kion Group, a German multinational manufacturer of materials handling equipment and the incumbent CEO of GRBR Services. Sunlight said Riske had in-depth knowledge of original equipment manufacturers and a wealth of expertise in sectors including high-performance energy systems. Govaert, who is a non-
German testing lab EBL joins CBI Germany-based lead battery testing company EBL became the latest member of the Consortium for Battery Innovation on January 27, the company announced. EBL, which was founded in June 2021 by joint managing directors Benjamin Gebhardt and Martin Müller, started construction of its independent lab testing facility at Holungen, in the
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central German federal state of Thuringia, in March. The company said it expects to start operations at the facility in the middle of 2022. Gebhardt and Müller said EBL will offer electrical and mechanical testing of lead acid batteries, supported by follow-up evaluation and expert assessment of test results.
executive director and former group CFO at AOC & ChemicaInvest, started his career at Philips Electronics and has worked as partner at professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal.
Sunlight said Govaert’s experience would be invaluable in Sunlight’s corporate transformation to a global tech company. Lamp, who is head of BMW Group Battery Cell Technology and the associated worldwide R&D network, was set to join Sunlight’s board in May. He has more than 30 years’ experience in cuttingedge R&D work in the energy sector, Sunlight said. Sunlight Group CEO Lampros Bisalas said the new board members all have a strong track record of driving growth and operational excellence. In 2021, Sunlight announced the initial rollout of a €560 million ($615 million) five-year investment plan to expand the capacity of lead acid and lithium ion energy storage products. Investments include upgrades to the company’s facilities in the US, Italy, and Greece. Sunlight said its main manufacturing unit in Xanthi, Greece, would become the world’s largest facility for industrial, motive, lead batteries.
Doe Run achieves work safety milestone Doe Run said on February 15 the lead miner and recycler had achieved 25 consecutive years worked at its Sweetwater Mill near Boss, Missouri, with no lost-time incidents. Mill superintendent Gary Skaggs said: “Achieving 25 years with no lost time is a huge feat in an industrial setting. “Our employees are responsible for overseeing heavy, complex equipment that crushes ore rock and separates lead, copper and zinc from waste rock. “Their commitment to closely following safety protocols and watching
out for each other has enabled them to work safely day after day, year after year.” Doe Run said the company integrates a safety mindset into everything it does. Meanwhile, Doe Run’s other three mills have also achieved safety milestones with no lost-time incidents over the past year. They are Brushy Creek Mill (16 years), Buick Mill (11 years) and Fletcher Mill (eight years). In addition, the Sweetwater Mine surface team has reached 18 years with no lost time.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 9
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PEOPLE NEWS
Doe Run Company wins 2022 BCI Amplify Award Battery Council International announced on May 3 that the Doe Run Company had been awarded the 2022 BCI Amplify Award for communications excellence. This is the first year BCI has presented the award, in recognition of the lead battery industry’s most innovative and effective marketing and communications campaigns that promote the value of the industry. Doe Run, headquartered in St Louis, Missouri, is a privately held natural
resources company and a global provider of lead, copper and zinc concentrates and a lead battery recycler. The award recognizes Doe Run’s recent communications campaign to inform state legislators about the positive impact of Missouri’s lead industry. The campaign — We Are Doe Run — included an in-person Doe Run Day at the Missouri State Capitol in early 2020, where company leaders and employ-
Redwood’s 'JB' Straubel receives Shep Wolsky Battery Innovator Award
The co-founder and CEO of Nevada-based Redwood Materials, Jeffrey Brian Straubel — best known as ‘JB’ — was presented with the Shep Wolsky Battery Innovator Award during the International Battery Seminar in Florida on March 29. Straubel joined the Orlando conference remotely for the announcement of the award, which he received in acknowledgement of his lifetime achievements to date. Before founding Redwood, Straubel spent 15 years at Tesla as
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co-founder and CTO, where he led cell design, supply chain and led the company’s first gigafactory concept. He also had a direct role in both R&D, team building and operational expansion from prototype cars through to mass production and gigawatthour-scale. The battery innovator award is presented annually in memory of Wolsky, who died in November 2017 at the age of 91. He showed exception brilliance from a young age and notwithstanding the intervention of the Second World War, obtained his PhD aged just 21. He was known as a grandee of all chemistries within the battery industry making the award ceremony all the more significant. Wolsky founded the seminar on his retirement and ran the event for 32 years, before selling it to Cambridge Enertech.
ees staffed informational booths and engaged in oneon-one and small group meetings with key legislators and state governor, Mike Parson, to discuss issues facing the industry. “We are thrilled to win this award and promote Missouri’s lead battery industry,” said Tammy Stankey, director of communications and community relations at The Doe Run Company. “Our state ranks second in the US for the economic contribution of the industry. Missouri is truly a hub for the circular economy of lead battery energy storage. Our efforts aim to ensure that our state officials are aware of the valuable jobs and services our industry provides.” Donna Snyder, vice president of marketing and advertising at East Penn Manufacturing, and chair of the BCI marketing committee, said: “The purpose of this award is to encourage innovative and creative thinking in the industry and serves to engage more company and
individual outreach from BCI member companies. “I’m delighted that the Doe Run Company has earned recognition for their work that effectively communicates the value of lead batteries and their innovative, essential, sustainable and safe attributes.” Supporting materials for Doe Run’s campaign included: • An easy-to-digest fact sheet providing an overview of the lead battery industry’s economic contribution to Missouri. • A brochure that reinforced Doe Run’s contribution to jobs, the economy, sustainable mining and metal production, and the important role lead batteries play in everyday life. • On-site displays prominently highlighting key stats and the breadth of Doe Run’s economic impact throughout the state. • An invitation to legislators to attend a group meeting with Doe Run.
EUROBAT joins Global Battery Alliance EUROBAT, the association of European automotive and industrial battery manufacturers, said on March 16 it had joined the Global Battery Alliance. GBA is a public-private collaboration platform, founded in 2017 at the World Economic Forum, to help establish a sustainable battery value chain by 2030. EUROBAT executive director, Rene Schroeder, said both organizations “shared goals of circularity, environmental protection and sustainable development. “With the new Batteries Regulation, the future EU
policy framework for batteries, it becomes even more important to have the voice of the EU battery industry heard at this important and global platform, while actively contributing towards the higher goal,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder: “shared goals of circularity”
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 11
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PEOPLE NEWS
Saft appoints Cedric Duclos as new CEO French batteries company Saft said on April 21 that Cedric Duclos had been appointed CEO effective April 11. Duclos succeeded Ghislain Lescuyer, who Saft said had decided to retire
after 10 years as a member of the company’s supervisory board and seven years as CEO — during which he oversaw the sale of Saft to French oil giant Total (now TotalEnergies) in 2016. Duclos, a French and
Cedric Duclos
American dual citizen, joins Saft from another TotalEnergies subsidiary — Hutchinson — where he spent nearly 25 years. His most recent position was based in Michigan, where he was president and CEO of Hutchinson’s Fluid Management Systems business. Saft said Duclos has a track record of achievements in highly technical markets, mostly in the automotive sector and in aerospace, defence and energy — and specializing in thermal and battery management, smart plant automation and electric and autonomous vehicle technologies. Last December, TotalEnergies announced the launch of the largest battery-based energy storage facility in France. Saft designed and assembled the battery containers for the 61MW/61MWh site at the Flandres Center in Dunkirk.
Grant to kickstart EU batteries academy The European Union formally launched the European Battery Alliance Academy on February 24, with a €10 million ($11 million) grant to train up thousands of workers for Europe’s expanding battery sector. The funding will be provided through the European Institute of Innovation and Technology to help bridge what the institute said was a “growing skills gap” across the battery value chain. Academy training programmes will benefit from
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the grant. Training includes online seminars and in-person workshops designed to “reskill and upskill” workers — who will go on to be part Europe’s future battery-cells manufacturing industry. The academy initiative was launched after EU leaders were warned of a “growing skills shortage” facing Europe’s battery manufacturing industry during a ministerial-level summit of the EBA in 2021. EU innovation and research commissioner Mariya Gabriel said: “Trans-
formative innovation must be met with skills and education for a new era. “The EBA Academy will equip thousands of workers and learners with the skills needed by innovative companies and start-ups to grow and scaleup to become global tech champions. In addition, it will invest in the innovation ecosystem underpinning the European battery supply chain, with training platforms, centers, and curricula ready to meet the demands for a more competitive Europe.”
ESS Tech appoints Gast to board
Claudia Gast
Claudia Gast has joined the board of US-based iron flow battery storage firm ESS Tech, the company announced on February 17. Gast is the chief financial officer and board member of Global Technology Acquisition Corp and cofounder of investment firm Greentrail Capital. She replaces Shirley Speakman of Cycle Capital, who joined the board in 2017 and is leaving to return to early-stage company investing. ESS chief executive officer Eric Dresselhuys said Gast’s background in finance and operations management across multiple industries would “add depth and expertise to the company’s governance structure as we accelerate production and deployment on a global scale”. In January, ESS said it would be deploying its technology in the US state of Oregon under an agreement to test and demonstrate frequency response, contingency reserve, voltage and VAR (voltamp reactance) support, demand response and resource optimization. The company will supply its 3MWh Energy Center system — it expects it to come online later this year — under a deal with the state’s energy company, Portland General Electric.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 13
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Metair to sell off batteries business, claims shareholder ahead of results South Africa-based Metair is preparing to sell off its lead and lithium battery businesses including Rombat and Mutlu Akü, one of the company’s newest shareholders, Truffle Asset Management, claimed on February 21. Truffle acquired a 5.28% stake in Metair for an undisclosed sum, according to a Johannesburg Stock Exchange announcement on January 24. Now Truffle has told Batteries International one of the reasons for investing was because “we believe Metair could soon announce its intention to dispose of its energy storage division — the batteries business”. Metair’s energy storage division mostly comprises its battery businesses in countries including Turkey (Mutlu Akü), Romania (Rombat) and South Africa (First National Battery) a Truffle spokesperson said. “We believe a fair valu-
ation could be around five-to-six times an Ebitda [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization] multiple which, if executed on, should unlock significant value for shareholders,” said the spokesperson.” Other “significant growth” to come from Metair includes contributions from a “significant automotive components contract” Truffle said Metair signed with Ford South Africa in 2021 — “from which they will generate an additional ZAR3.5 billion ($232.5 million) revenue per annum for the next 10 years”. Truffle said: “This contract will contribute meaningfully from January 2023 and should add around ZAR1.00 per share in the company’s headline earnings per share from fiscal year 2023 onwards (+30% on their pre-Covid earnings of ZAR3.36 per share).” Metair posted increases in revenue and operating profit
in full-year results reported on March 17 — reflecting a solid rebound, it said, after pandemic lock-down restrictions two years ago. The South Africa-based group, whose businesses include lead and lithium battery products and automotive components, said overall revenue increased by 23% to ZAR12.62 billion (about $862 million). Group operating profit rose to ZAR1.16 billion from ZAR0.6 billion in the previous period, with the operating margin at 9.2%, compared with 5.5% in 2020. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization, including equity earnings and impairments, increased by 80% to ZAR1.4 billion. Metair’s energy storage division mostly comprises its battery businesses in countries including Turkey (Mutlu Akü), Romania (Rombat) and South Africa (First National Battery).
Rombat announces record high battery sales and lead recycling Romania’s Rombat announced two milestones on January 20 — record high sales of lead batteries and the largest amount of lead it has ever recycled and reintroduced into the manufacturing process. Rombat, which is owned by South Africa-based automotive and energy storage group, Metair Investments, said it sold 2.65 million car batteries in 2021. This was a 15% increase over the previous year. The battery maker also recovered around 13,000 tonnes of lead from batteries recycled at its Copsa Mica processing plant — where it annually recovers 98% of the lead from used batteries collected from the market.
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Rombat CEO Alin Ioanes described 2021 as “both a year of records and challenges”. In 2022, Rombat plans to increase its lead battery production capacity, while investing an estimated €4 million ($4.5 million) in a solar energy project to reduce the carbon footprint of the company’s production process. Ioanes said the company has already applied for funding from the European Union to support the solar project. Meanwhile, Ioanes said he wants to expand Rombat’s sales of lithium ion batteries to develop its position as a supplier to the energy storage market. Ioanes forecast that, over
the next three-to-five years, “we will see a resettlement of the market with an obvious trend of growth in the area of hybrid and electric vehicles.” However, a Metair spokesperson told Batteries International the group was still going ahead with plans to switch the production of lithium batteries by Rombat in Romania to Metair’s Mutlu Akü lead battery subsidiary in Turkey. Metair said last year its lithium products would benefit from “Mutlu’s brand strength and operational expertise, as well as its access and positioning within a growing market for lithium ion products and will benefit from recently available incentives that will recover the initial investment.
Sales in the energy storage business were up 18%, contributing revenue of ZAR7.5 billion for 2021 over the previous year. Energy storage earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) rose by 51% to ZAR887 million, with operating profit in local currency showing an improvement at South Africa’s First National Battery and more than doubling at the Mutlu Akü lead batteries operation in Turkey. Sales of industrial batteries were ZAR530 million, with First National Battery continuing with its shift to a trade-focused model to counter the effect of technology, market and demand shift, Metair CEO Riaz Haffejee said. He said sales beat precovid levels, supported by strong aftermarket demand and exports from Mutlu Akü. And Haffejee said Metair is developing smaller auxiliary lead acid AGM batteries to power the non-starting functions of new energy vehicles. “Demand for lead acid batteries will grow and is likely to continue into the next decade, based on forecast internal combustion engine growth and their applicability as auxiliary batteries in new energy vehicles,” Haffejee said. But he warned the trading environment would remain challenging during 2022 because of supply chain difficulties and semi-conductor shortages — all expected to be compounded by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, Haffejee noted in his results report Metair continued to review its businesses and was committed to “driving the value unlock opportunity within the energy storage vertical”.
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NEWS
‘Multiple chemistry’ ESS push for Stryten Energy in new divisions Stryten Energy has formed two new divisions focused on developing and producing multiple battery technologies, including lead, for the energy storage market, the company said on March 9. The formation of the Motive Power and Essential Power units followed the company’s announcement on January 19 that it was adding vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) technology to its lead and lithium battery storage portfolio, after its acquisition of Storion Energy. As part of the new moves, Stryten is rebranding its GNB Industrial Power division to Stryten Energy by the end of 2022 — “to unify go-to-market efforts under the Stryten Energy brand” directly and through its dealer network and service partners. Stryten CEO Tim Vargo said the new divisions
would enable the company to “focus on developing and manufacturing the high-performing, top-quality energy storage solutions across multiple chemistries that are required to meet the growing demand for clean power and the decarbonization goals in the US. “Whether it is switching from internal combustion to battery-powered electric forklifts in their distribution centres or providing environmentally friendly energy storage for on-demand power needs, Stryten Energy and its vendor partners stand ready to support our customers’ sustainability goals now and into the future.” The Motive Power division includes advanced lead and lithium batteries, intelligent chargers and energy performance management software solutions for material handling, mining and railway applications. Its
team includes stored energy experts whose work includes power studies, training and inspections. Essential Power includes advanced lead, lithium and vanadium battery technologies and services, including chargers and racking systems used for backup power for the military and government, telecommunications, UPS systems, railway, utility, microgrids and long-duration energy storage for renewable power sources. Stryten said the Essential Power research and development team will identify, develop and commercialize innovative technologies such as lithium and flow batteries that will support the emerging sustainable power and distribution markets. Stryten Energy previously announced in January it was adding vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) technology to its lead and
Monbat finalizes majority stake deal to expand further in Tunisia Bulgaria-based Monbat said on April 6 it had completed its €10.3 million (about $11 million) deal to acquire a majority stake in Tunisian lead battery company Nour — as part of plans to expand its market share across North Africa and the Middle East. Monbat, which now formally owns 60% of Nour, said in a Bulgarian Stock Exchange announcement that the deal was primarily financed with cash from a 2018 bond issue and other funds of its own. An agreement for the acquisition was first announced in May 2021. The transaction, was financed from issuing bonds and the firm’s own funds. “The transaction is in line
with the strategic objectives of Monbat AD for the establishment of its own production base and expansion of the market positions in North Africa and the Middle East, including but not limited to Tunisia, Algeria and Libya,” the company said at the time of the announcment. Now the deal has been finalized, Monbat plans to double production in Tunisia to one million starter batteries annually — boosting exports, which it said in turn should “effectively mitigate” the risks of increased costs from volatile electricity and natural gas prices in the European markets. Nour, founded in 1956, claims to be the first Tunisian company to specialize
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in the production or batteries, which it supplies to sectors including cars, public transport vehicles and maritime vessels. Meanwhile, Monbat said it will maintain its existing manufacturing capacity at its Bulgarian production plants in Montana and Dobrich, while the added production levels in Tunisia will help improve battery delivery times to customers. In 2017, the group moved into the lithium ion business, with the acquisition of German peers Gaia Akkumulatorenwerke and EAS Germany. In 2018, Monbat shelved plans to buy another Tunisian battery maker, Tunisien Assad. Separately Monbat on January 18 announced it
lithium battery storage portfolio with the acquisition of Storion Energy’s assets. Vargo said the thinking behind the company’s third acquisition in as many months also revealed the company’s determination to be a key player in the long duration energy storage market. Since last November, USbased Stryten has also acquired Galvion and Tulip Richardson Manufacturing. Vargo told Batteries International: “We’ve been targeting acquisitions where we feel it’s best to leverage our manufacturing experience in energy storage.” “We’ve been making lead energy storage for a long time, we know how to make large quantities using lead, and the same skill set can be applied to other things, such as lithium and vanadium.” had signed a partnership agreement with the UK firm Alpha House, which provides ‘consultative intelligent power solutions’ across several markets and industries across the UK and Ireland. In a joint announcement, the companies said the terms of agreement are that Alpha House will be Monbat’s exclusive manufacturing partner, service provider and distributor throughout the UK, “to facilitate the expansion of products and services to existing and future customers and emerging markets alike”. Alpha House makes and distributes batteries across a range of sectors and applications, including UPS, solar and wind, telecoms, EVs and mobility. Monbat on January 25 confirmed it had joined the Consortium for Battery Innovation.
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NEWS
Shake up of maritime transportation rules discussed after sinking of the Felicity Ace The fire on the Felicity Ace, a CEU 6,400 car carrier that ultimately sank in the Atlantic on March 1 has been attributed to thermal runaway of EV batteries inside the vehicles. Although it is too early to determine the reason for the loss of the vessel it is almost certain to affect recent discussions on maritime transport safety. The blaze on the Felicity Ace broke out on February 16. Portuguese news agency Lusa quoted a port official on the Azorean island of Faial, João Mendes Cabeças, as saying lithium ion batteries in EVs on board the Felicity Ace were believed at that time to be “keeping the fire alive” — but said it was not yet clear whether the batteries sparked the blaze. A spokesperson for the vessel’s owner told Batteries International it was too soon to comment on reports that EV batteries had been involved. A spokesperson for Volkswagen confirmed to Batteries International that some of its vehicles were on board the vessel, but declined to give details, other than to say all crew members had been safely rescued by the Portuguese navy. The Felicity Ace was owned by Car Carriers, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MOL Shipmanagement Singapore. The fire broke out on the Panamaflagged car carrier on February 16, as the vessel was some 90 nautical miles southwest of the Azores, travelling from Germany to the US. After the ship sank on March 1, a Bloomberg report said that a risk-modelling analyst had estimated the value of the goods aboard the ship at $438 million, of which $401 million were cars, and estimated Volkswagen’s losses at $155 million. At the same time as the Felicity Ace was on fire, China re-iterated a call to the International Maritime Organization to consider a shake-up of maritime safety rules for EVs being shipped by sea. China has submitted proposals aimed at improving fire safety technical requirements under International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations following “frequent” accidents involving EV battery fires, the IMO told Batteries International.
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China’s proposals include “enhanced protection” from onboard automated fire-extinguishing systems, more video monitoring of cargo, new rules governing ro-ro spaces separating vehicles on vessels and a review of protective clothing requirements for firefighters. The proposals were discussed by the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) this April. According to a paper submitted by China to the MSC: “The ever-increasing demand for ships carrying large quantities of various types of new energy vehicles including lithium ion battery vehicles — and reports of several major fire accidents occurring on ships carrying lithium ion battery vehicles — serve as a reminder that the international maritime community needs to pay attention to the special safety risks of ships carrying new energy vehicles.” The paper urges the safety committee to comprehensively review existing regulations — claiming that existing fire extinguisher systems are not sufficient to cope with shipments of mixed vehicles, such as EVs being carried alongside alternative fuel vehicles. China said it had conducted its own tests into the efficacy of gas fire-extinguishing systems in enclosed spaces involving various EV models using lithium ion batteries. “During repeated tests, the flame on the battery surface was quickly extinguished after the CO2 fire-extinguishing medium was released, but reignition occurred afterwards, accompanied by a gas explosion.
“This is because it is difficult to stop the thermal runaway propagation between battery cells or modules and the CO2 cooling effect is not enough to inhibit the thermal runaway reaction inside the lithium ion battery. “At the same time, combustible gas released by the thermal runaway accumulates… creating an explosive gas environment. Due to the loss of air tightness in the space, the entry of fresh air from outside is also one of the reasons for the re-ignition.” Experience showed it can take longer to put out fires involving new energy vehicles than fuel vehicles, the paper said. Without “effective measures to isolate new energy vehicles… fire could spread more quickly to other decks”. Water spray systems are effective in suppressing individual EV fires, but have limited impact in putting out fires that spread to other vehicles stowed in close proximity, which then “can only be left to burn” or tackled by “manual firefighting”, the paper said. The paper said work is needed to “identify the gaps” in existing SOLAS fire safety requirements and that costs involved in increasing fire prevention were “a price that the maritime industry should bear”. However, the paper proposes a staged approach — focusing initially on developing fire safety improvements for ships carrying lithium ion battery vehicles followed by alternative fuel vehicles, “mainly hydrogen fuel cell vehicles”.
Felicity Ace in happier days in Rotterdam
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NEWS
STC confirms Nour battery recycling deal and role in new European facility Italian lead recycler STC confirmed on April 27 that it had been awarded a $5 nillion contract to supply a lead battery recycling plant to Tunisian battery maker Nour. Earlier in the month STC's parent Monbat said in a regulatory filine that STC, with France’s Dross Engineering, are among companies involved in a project to build a €4.5 million (about $5 million) European lead battery recycling facility. STC, whose parent company is Bulgarian bat-
tery manufacturing group Monbat, said the recycling deal was agreed following Monbat’s formal acquisition of a 60% stake in Nour. STC will supply a battery breaking and separation plant to be installed by Nour at a new facility in Tunis. The plant will be able to process more than 25,000 tonnes annually of lead batteries and will feature latest technology to ensure operations “comply with strict EU environmental
regulations”, STC said. Technology featured at the plant, which STC said had been designed for an (unspecified) future increase in processing capacity, will include the company’s novel ‘U4Lead’ paste desulfurization tech, to produce “highly desulfurized lead paste and ammonium sulfate as by product, which is easily saleable as fertilizer”. The facility will comprise an automated scrap batteries feeding system, together with systems for magnetic
Campine bids for Recyclex recycling sites Belgium’s Campine has made a conditional bid to acquire lead battery recycling plants from troubled French recycling peer Recyclex, the companies confirmed on April 15. Campine has offered to acquire lead battery recycling plants in Escaudoeuvres and Villefranche-surSaône, France, as well as a plastics recycling subsidiary, around €2.5 million ($2.7 million). The bid was one of several announced on April 15 for parts of Recyclex, as the group said it had failed to organize an “amicable” debt restructuring process since it launched an assets disposal program in May 2021. Other bids included €40
million from mining giant Glencore to acquire Recyclex’s 50% stake in the recycling firm Recytech, which is jointly owned with Spanish company Befesa. Other offers focused only on acquiring discontinued mining and industrial sites including Estaque, in Marseille, for around €500,000. The Paris Commercial Court will now decide on whether to allow a formal reorganization of Recyclex — which will allow the court to examine offers received. Recyclex said Campine’s offer was likely to maintain the activities of the group’s industrial sites and associated jobs — but that it was “still uncertain” whether conditions of the deal could
be met. However, the bid was “likely to promote the sustainability of activities and jobs at sites that are fully committed to the lead and plastic waste recycling economy”. Campine’s offer would also be subject to agreement between that company and the French government on the amounts of the financial guarantees required if the lead recycling plants takeover goes ahead. Recyclex said the offers received compare with its total net debt of €52.2 million, plus provisions for environmental risks and liabilities of €16.2 million and that no further offers are expected “in view of the extensive due diligence” it has taken to find buyers.
Chloride starts up third recycling plant Chloride Metals confirmed on March 24 it had launched commercial production at its new lead batteries recycling plant in India. The Exide Industries subsidiary said in a National Stock Exchange of India regulatory filing that the 108,000 million tonnes per annum capacity smelting plant in Haldia, in the
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state of West Bengal, had been built on a greenfield site spanning more than 21 acres. Chloride’s president of legal and corporate affairs, Jitendra Kumar, said in the filing that Italian engineering company, Engitec Tech, had supported the installation of equipment for the plant. Exide Industries an-
nounced plans to build the plant in January 2017, saying then that the facility would be built on land offered by the state government to Exide. The new facility takes the total number of Chloride recycling plants to three — the others being in India’s Maharashtra and Karnataka states.
metals separation, battery crushing with an STC hammer mill, components separation, paste filtration with membrane squeezing, a fully automatic filter press, electrolyte collection and neutralization and a general ventilation and gas scrubbing system. STC said the components separation system will be able to recover polypropylene chips, PE separators, fine metallic lead, poles and posts, fine paste, coarse paste and clean electrolyte.
EnerSys approves $150m share buy-back The board of lead batteries producer EnerSys announced a $150 million stock repurchase authorization on March 9. EnerSys said there was no expiration date for the program, which would take the company’s total outstanding repurchase authorization to an aggregate of $181 million, including $31 million available under the board’s previous repurchase authorization, approved on November 4, 2021. EnerSys said at the time that it estimated an additional $30 million would become available on April 1, as part of its evergreen stock buyback authorization — designed to offset dilution related to its equitybased award program. EnerSys said authorized repurchases would be made as needed in either the open market or through privately negotiated transactions and at the discretion of management.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 21
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NEWS
Ukraine-fuelled energy crisis sparks lead price concerns Concerns about the fate of two European smelters look set to spill over into broader worries about the direction of future lead prices, a top industry analyst told Batteries International in early May. Neil Hawkes, base metals principal analyst at CRU in the UK, said KCM’s Plovdiv plant in Bulgaria had been directly affected by Russia’s decision to halt gas supplies to the country, over Bulgaria’s refusal to pay for supplies in roubles in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Hawkes said questions remain about the fate of Ecobat’s Stolberg primary lead smelter in Germany, which has been out of action since floods in the summer of 2021. The KCM plant, which processes around 70,000 tonnes of primary lead and the same quantity of zinc, was still running when Hawkes spoke to BI, but there are questions over whether it might have to close the entire operations — rather than Glencore’s decision to keep running its lead smelter at the same site of its zinc smelter at Porto Vesme in Italy, which has been shuttered since the start of 2022. “This would remove another source of lead supply in a European lead market already tight as a drum,” Hawkes said. On Stolberg, Hawkes said: “There’s a lot of mixed signals going on. Talk of it restarting operations this July is still uncertain. At one level the issue is whether in practice it will have been possible to repair thoroughly enough to restart.” But there are market rumours that the plant could be sold ahead of a July restart, Hawkes said. “The ongoing uncertainties of European primary
lead supplies come at a time when there are other more bearish factors at play,” Hawkes said. “Investors are becoming more concerned over the bearish impact of inflation on demand rather than supply, Covid-related restrictions in China hitting demand more than supply and a stronger US dollar on a more aggressive US Federal Reserve tightening stance.” Separately, tougher new EU proposals to restrict trade with Russia are likely to include exports of lead batteries and related battery tech products and services, Batteries International understands. European Commission president Ursula van der Leyen said on April 5 that EU member states were being asked to approve a fifth round of sanctions, “to degrade Russia’s technological base and industrial capacity” over its invasion of Ukraine. An EU official said on April 6 that they could not comment on specifics, when asked if lead and lithium battery exports would be halted. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said details could not be made public until all EU member states had approved the measures But the official said the proposals followed increas-
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es in export controls on dual-use goods that were agreed on February 25 to limit Russia’s access to crucial technologies. Those export controls have been in place for the military sector since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 — but now the same products “are controlled, even if intended for civilian users or purposes”, the official said. According to latest data from the International Lead Association and EUROBAT — as reported separately by Batteries International — EU member states collectively export around €2 billion (about $2.2 billion) of lead acid batteries alone to countries outside the bloc, including Russia. Farid Ahmed, lead analyst at research house Wood Mackenzie, said that Russia has imported around 170,000 tonnes of batteries per annum over the past few years — largely from China but also from other countries including the Czech Republic, Germany, South Korea and Kazakhstan. A Europe-based industry insider said any cessation of battery exports to Russia would have no immediate effect, but he warned that tough times for the battery industry could lie ahead once products provided through existing supply
chains had been used up. “I know that some of the companies I work with have already stopped sales to Russia,” he said. “The impact of this will likely be that it steers the Russian internal market to stronger supply relationships with China and India. On the western side, there will be some loss of sales adding to other problems such as the supply chain and Covid.” Initial reactions to the Russian aggression by some in the battery industry were prompt. EnerSys announced in early March it was suspending its operations in Russia, The company said, at the time, it had started the process of indefinitely suspending its operations in the country, “following Russia’s illegal military action against a sovereign Ukraine”. EnerSys president and CEO David Shaffer said: “We are deeply saddened by the violence in Ukraine and stand firmly with the Ukrainian people. “As the situation continues to unfold, our top priority is the safety of our employees in Ukraine and in Russia. We are suspending our operations in Russia and will comply fully with all sanctions.” The company has eight employees in Ukraine and 43 in Russia.
International participation in INTERBAT disappears The Ukraine invasion immediately spilled over to the regular INTERBAT conference of Russia’s battery storage association, which is held in Moscow each March. This year, its international audience vanished — only one Indian and three Turkish firms at-
tended. One of the attendees, who Batteries International is not naming, said: “It was a quiet conference without any US or European representation. The general reaction from our Russian friends was that the Ukrainians were ‘our people’ and they said
they couldn’t understand why it was happening.” Life was complicated for all delegates by the fact that credit cards didn’t work and the rouble exchange rate widened to ridiculous levels — the difference for buying and selling the dollar was R75/R130.
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NEWS
BCI warns over new emissions proposal Proposals to impose tighter regulations on the US lead battery industry could see firms facing “significant” extra costs — with no tangible environmental benefits, industry leaders told Batteries International on March 7. The warning came after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule that would impose new air emissions controls for lead
acid battery manufacturers, including more stringent lead emission limits. Battery Council International executive vice president, Roger Miksad, said the industry body was “seriously concerned about several elements of the rule, which appear likely to impose significant compliance costs on this industry, but without achieving any meaningful reduction in broader community air quality.
“The lead battery manufacturing industry already has some of the most wellcontrolled processes of any industry, accounting for less than 1% of lead emissions nationwide,” Miksad told Batteries International. Miksad revealed that BCI is conducting an in-depth analysis of the proposed rule — and working with its members to “fully understand its potential impacts”.
UK university to look at lead pollution by abandoned mines The University of Nottingham in England said on January 20 it was examining the extent of lead pollution around abandoned mines in Wales in terms of what impact they have had on the health of wild and farmed animals in the vicinity. Andrea Sartorius and Lisa Yon, from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, are leading the study, which began a couple of years ago and is now being analysed with a view to cleaning the sites up. It looked at two of the 1,300 abandoned mines in Wales, many of which are next to water courses. “While metal exposure may seem like a thing of the past, since metals do not degrade, metal pollution from hundreds or even thousands of years ago can still be present in the landscape today,” said Sartorius. “At mine sites, cleaning efforts are mainly focused on redirecting water flow away from mines and covering up the soil and mine waste with a thick layer of clay-based soil to prevent leaching. “Other options include removing soil from the
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site, and a lot of work is going into research whether some plants can effectively remove metals from soil.” Mining was a big industry in Wales in the 13th and early 14th centuries, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW), before it was halted by the Black Death (bubonic plague), which killed up to 200 million people in Europe, Asia and North Africa between 1346 and 1353. Lead was used for many
A lot of work is going into research whether some plants can effectively remove metals from soil other applications before its toxicity was identified, such as jewellery, coins, pipes and ammunition. Mining picked up again and peaked in the second half of 19th century, when mining techniques improved and the industrial revolution increased demand.
Between 1845-1938 lead production accounted for 25% of the total United Kingdom output, until large deposits were found in Spain, South America and Australia at the end of the century, and it became cheaper to import the metal than mine it. There was a brief resurgence in Wales between 1952-1954. “Abandoned metal mines are among the main sources of water pollution in Wales and NRW is committed to a programme of measures to deal with some of the most polluting sites,” said Paul Edwards, senior environmental assessment officer with NRW. “The research by the University of Nottingham will help us to target these measures to maximize the benefits to ecology and animal health in our rivers and on the land surrounding these sites.” Sartorius says they plan to share all research results through open access publications, conferences and press releases. “We are hoping to foster communication around the world of how to best study and tackle this global issue,” she said.
He said BCI expected to provide a formal response to the EPA before the agency’s April 25 deadline for comments. Highlights of the proposed rule, published in the US Federal Register on February 23, are more stringent lead emission limits for grid casting, paste mixing, and lead reclamation operations under both the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants — for new and existing sources — and fresh New Source Performance Standards for lead acid battery facilities that started construction, reconstruction or modification after February 23. The EPA acknowledged that only one of the country’s 40 lead battery plants had violated the lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards. However, the proposed updated standards include a tougher 0.1 milligrams (mg) per dry standard cubic meter (mg/dscm) for paste mixing operations at large facilities — defined as facilities with the capacity to process an amount equal to or greater than 150 tons of lead in one day. A more stringent 0.04 mg/dscm limitation for lead from grid casting operations (down from 0.4 mg/ dscm) and a more stringent 0.45 mg/dscm limitation for lead from lead reclamation facilities (down from 4.5 mg/dscm). In addition, the EPA is calling for performance testing once every five years to demonstrate compliance. Tests would include work practices to minimize emissions of fugitive lead dust, plus more frequent inspections of fabric filters, bag leak detection systems for facilities “above a certain size and clarification of activities that are considered to be lead reclamation activities”.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 25
NEWS
Work starts on US battery graphite processing plant being launched in Alabama Developers broke ground at the site of a planned $202 million graphite processing plant in Alabama on April 19 to help reduce US reliance on imported refined graphite. Westwater Resources and its Alabama Graphite Products (AGP) subsidiary said the plant will process raw graphite into refined, battery-grade graphite, for use in products including lead-acid batteries and lithium ion batteries destined for electric vehicles. The project’s launch follows a plea by US president Joe Biden in his March 1 State of the Union address to end the country’s reliance on foreign supply chains to boost domestic energy security. Colorado based West-
water, which is focused on developing battery-ready natural graphite materials for advanced batteries, said there are currently no producers of natural-grade graphite in the US for batteries, with refined graphite used in batteries primarily imported from China. The company said its new Kellyton plant will use a proprietary process claimed to be “safer and more environmentally friendly and sustainable than the hydrofluoric acidbased process commonly used in China and elsewhere”. Meanwhile, the company plans to continue with exploration at a graphite deposit in western Coosa County, in the ‘Alabama graphite belt’.
Lead boosts US energy independence Lead batteries are set to underpin a new era of energy independence in the US — as the country scrambles to head-off potential shortages of critical material supplies for energy storage and electric vehicles, Battery Council International said on March 2. BCI was responding to a “Let’s make it in America” plea by US president Joe Biden made in his State of the Union address on March 1, in which he called for an end to reliance on foreign supply chains. But with the US still heavily dependent on imports for key battery materials including cobalt, lithium, manganese and nickel — according to a US Geological Survey updated list of 50 mineral commodities critical to the economy and national security — the importance of the domestic lead battery industry is set to grow. The list has been expanded compared to 35 commodities on the last list fi-
nalised in 2018. The USGS said there was a “compelling case” to add nickel to the list to strengthen development of a homegrown US battery materials supply chain for EVs and energy storage systems. BCI executive vice president Roger Miksad said: “President Biden called for an end to relying on foreign supply chains, and we are proud of our existing domestic infrastructure that meets more than 90% of the domestic lead battery demand. “The president also said that products should be ‘made in America from beginning to end,’ and that’s the description of sustainable lead batteries. “Our strong, US-based supply chain is a well-established, reliable manufacturing model for batteries that employs nearly 25,000 people with above average salaries, generating a $26.3 billion economic contribution to the national economy.”
Hollingsworth & Vose invests in India, doubling separator capacity Hollingsworth & Vose has announced that it is ‘strategically investing’ in its Mysuru plant in India, doubling manufacturing capacity to produce battery separators that will serve the south-Asian and global markets. In 2014, H&V acquired Raman FibreScience, a technology company based
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in Mysuru, India. The facility specializes in developing innovations in fiber-based, wet-laid filtration media and battery separators and was a natural complement to H&V’s existing business. Today in Mysuru, H&V produces battery separator products that are used in a variety of energy storage applications.
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NEWS
Exide Industries announces plans to invest $800m in lithium manufacturing Lead-acid battery maker Exide Industries revealed on April 4 it may be about to invest in the region of Rs6,000 crore — Rs60,000,000,000 ($793 million) — in building a multi-gigawatt battery cell manufacturing plant in India’s Karnataka state. Exide said on March 10 it had agreed a long-term technical collaboration partnership with China’s SVOLT Energy Technology for lithium ion cell manufacturing on a greenfield site — but the location and financial details were not disclosed. However, in its April 4 regulatory filing to the National Stock Exchange of India, Exide said it expected to invest around Rs6,000 crore “over a period of time” in the project to supply India’s burgeoning energy storage and automotive sectors, although the investment had yet to be formally signed off by the company. Exide said it had yet to receive formal notification from Karnataka state confirming details of the site
designated to develop the battery cells plant. But Exide said India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs issued a certificate of incorporation on March 24 for the company’s whollyowned Exide Energy Solutions subsidiary — which will coordinate development of the Karnataka plant and run future operations at the site. Under the terms of the SVOLT agreement, announced in a regulatory filing, Exide said it would be licensed to “use, exploit and commercialize” the firm’s technology to launch multi-gigawatt battery cell manufacturing in India for the energy storage and automotive sectors. SVOLT, which has its headquarters in China’s Jiangsu province, will also support the setting up of a state-of-the art green field manufacturing plant on a turnkey basis. Exide said it is forming a special purpose vehicle, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, to run the manufacturing business — and is in fairly advanced stage
Banner Batterien secures €50 million supply deal Austria-based Banner Batterien has secured a contract extension worth €50 million ($56 million) to supply lead batteries to a major German car manufacturer, the company said on February 22. Banner’s head of marketing, Thomas Hauzeneder, told Batteries International the contract included a mix of AGM and EFB batteries, although the name of what is “one of our most important automotive customers” was not being disclosed. The deal increases the existing volume of deliveries to the car manufacturer by
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around 40%, Banner said. Commercial CEO Andreas Bawart said: “We are proud of the fact that despite difficult conditions, which include enormous increases in the cost of raw materials and energy prices, we are still able to maintain an excellent sales trend. “In particular, this new order also secures the growth forecasts that we have established as our targets and demonstrates that leading car manufacturers continue to trust in proven and, above all, sustainable Banner Group quality.”
of discussions for finalizing a construction site. Exide managing director and CEO Subir Chakraborty said the partnership was “a major step forward in Exide’s aspiration of becoming a leading player in the rapidly emerging new-age electric mobility and stationary application businesses in India”.
Chakraborty said the new manufacturing facility would focus on two popular cell chemistries and three cell formats. Last August, SVOLT closed a series ‘B’ financing of Rmb10.28 billion (about $1.6 billion), following a series ‘A’ financing of Rmb3.5 billion at the end of February 2021.
Cabot completes acquisition of Tokai Carbon Battery materials firm Cabot said on March 1, it had completed its acquisition of Japan’s Tokai Carbon (Tianjin) from the Tokai Carbon Group. The deal expands Cabot’s manufacturing capacity to support the growth of its battery materials product line, which can produce up to 50,000 tonnes of carbon black annually. Cabot said it plans to invest in facility upgrades to produce materials for lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles. The first phase of upgrades should be completed by early 2024. Cabot president and CEO Sean Keohane said: “Lithium ion batteries are one of the fastest-growing end markets, and our custom-
ers value us as a strategic partner and industry leader in conductive carbon additives.” Cabot manufactures a range of products including carbon performance additives for advanced lead acid batteries and conductive additives for lithium ion batteries that are used in EVs and energy storage systems. Separately the firm said on March 15 it was to raise prices globally for its carbon black products. The company blamed the rise on “significant and rapid” increases in prime raw material costs, including oil and natural gas. Cabot’s increases — will vary depending on the product and region — came into force for all shipments made after April 15.
Gravita closes Peru-focused subsidiary Indian lead producer and recycler Gravita said in a February 3 regulatory filing it had closed a subsidiary entity set up to consider the potential for a manufacturing operation in Peru. Company secretary Nitin Gupta said in the filing to the Securities and Exchange Board of India that the ‘step down’ subsidiary — Gravita Peru SAC — was one of several entities established to evaluate potential future projects in a number of countries.
However, there have been no operating activities and so the directors decided to close the entity, Gupta said. An annual report of Gravita subsidiaries, published by the company on March 31, last year, said the Peru entity was still “in the development phase”. As of that date, only market research activities were planned to assess the potential for setting up a manufacturing plant in the country, the report said.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 27
NEWS
EU chemicals authorization likely to trigger battery investment freeze, says industry body European proposals that would require lead to be listed on a chemicals authorization register could trigger a batteries “investment freeze” and derail EU carbon reduction plans, in-
dustry leaders have warned. The European Chemicals Agency is proposing that lead metal be added to its REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemi-
cals) list — indicating that the substance will eventually be substituted and can only be used in the meantime with specific permission from the European Commission.
EUROBAT calls for reconsideration of elements in Batteries Regulation EUROBAT in January published concerns about the EU’s Batteries Directive, which could have one of the biggest impacts on the industry for decades. In a paper jointly produced by a number of organizations in the battery industry, five key concerns were laid out for the European Parliament to consider. One of the Battery Directive proposals is to require all EV, industrial and automotive batteries above 2kWh to use ‘minimum levels of secondary materials’ from 2030. But as EUROBAT points out, there is no way of knowing now how many secondary raw materials will be available by 2030.
At the moment very little lithium battery recycling is done, so unless that improves, the necessity to source secondary materials such as lithium ‘might cause production stops in the EU or force European manufacturers to source secondary raw materials producers from non-European producers’, EUROBAT says. “It would disproportionally benefit the import of batteries from non-EU countries where higher volumes of waste from batteries and other products for the production of secondary raw material are available,” it says. “Recycled content targets incentivise the premature end-of-life of batteries
and are in direct opposition to long lifetimes and second life. Conversely, measures promoting reuse, remanufacturing and repurposing would extend the lifetime of the battery and delay their recycling, reducing the total amount of batteries available for recycling and hence decreasing the availability of secondary raw materials.” The second concern raised is on design requirements, which EUROBAT says are too prescriptive and do not allow for evolving technological progress, including chemistry improvements – so while targets might be set, how they are achieved should be left to the market.
China in discussions over lead mine investing in Afghanistan China has held talks with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan about investment to develop that country’s mining industry, including a lead mine project, Afghanistan’s Bakhtar News Agency reported on April 11. According to the BNA, Afghanistan’s acting minister for mines and petroleum, Sheikh al-Hadith Shahabuddin Delawar, said the Taliban-controlled regime wanted to “facilitate” renewed investment in the country to boost the economy and “alleviate poverty”.
China’s state Xinhua News Agency confirmed that a Chinese delegation had discussed the potential for taking part in upcoming bids for further exploration and extraction of material from a lead mine in Afghanistan’s central Ghor province and an iron mine in the neighbouring Herat province. A “cabinet economic commission” has tasked Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum to draw up contracts to develop the country’s mining sector as a way of rejuve-
28 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
nating industry, Xinhua said. According to a 2007 preliminary assessment published by a US Geological Survey and Afghanistan Ministry of Mines Joint Mineral Resource Assessment Team, lead and zinc deposits in Afghanistan contained a known resource of around 240,000 tonnes of lead and zinc combined — some 173,000 tonnes of which was in the Ghor province with the remainder spread across Kandahar, Herat and Paktia provinces.
But the Lead REACH Consortium has called for the proposals to be dropped or risk threatening a wide range of EU industries, from battery manufacturers to metal recyclers. The consortium — which represents more than 90 companies involved in the mining, smelting, refining and recycling of lead, as well as manufacturers of lead compounds and producers of lead-based automotive and industrial batteries — said existing “highly effective risk management measures” already limit risks presented by lead exposure. Consortium chair and sustainability director at non-ferrous metals provider Aurubis Beerse, Inge Maes, said the proposed authorization process was “a blunt and bureaucratic tool”. The move would hit a “broad range of essential industries that are delivering services and products that are supporting EU ‘Green Deal’ objectives, such as reducing climate change and enhancing circularity”, Maes said. “Lead is an essential raw material that is safely recycled and used in advanced manufacturing facilities across Europe, which comply with or aim to exceed EU legislation designed to manage any risks.” The proposal would hit the EU’s advanced battery manufacturing sector, where about 90% of lead is used — with 80% coming from waste batteries collected and safely recycled at endof-life, the consortium said. In addition to batteries, lead is a “vital raw material” for industries producing cables linking wind farms to grids, solar panel systems and enabling recycling of other metals and transition technology elements, the consortium said.
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NEWS
ENTEK to commission fifth separator line in Indonesia ENTEK will commission its fifth lead battery separators line in Indonesia in the third quarter of this year. Vice president of global sales, Clint Beutelschies said the new line would have a production capacity of 45to million square metres. “Line five alone will be producing more than the combined 45 million square metres capacity of our existing four lead separator lines in Indonesia,” he said. The Indonesia expansion announcement comes after ENTEK unveiled plans on April 26 to build two “gigascale” electric vehicle battery separator plants in the US for lithium ion separators. ENTEK also announced on April 19 that it would invest in boosting its production of AGM battery separators for India and the US, in response to increasing demand for energy storage solutions for inverters, industrial and automotive applications. ENTEK said it is already looking for potential productions sites in both countries to develop fully integrated AGM production plants, including both fiber production and paper lines. Financial details of the investments were not disclosed, but ENTEK said the move would see the company become the first producer of glass fiber for AGM in India — “ensuring control over quality, cost and security of supply” for its customers. CEO Larry Keith said: “Our outstanding team in Japan has a long history and wealth of experience producing high-performance AGM products for some of the most demanding customers in the world. That technical expertise, together with our equipment manufacturing capabilities,
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provides the core competencies to successfully scale local production to serve the growing markets in India and the US.” The company said increasing vehicle power demands and the growth of EV production to satisfy consumer
transportation, there is rapid growth in industrial, telecom, and inverter battery demand requiring AGM, ENTEK said. “This outsized growth opportunity in advanced batteries for automotive, coupled with a significant AGM market opportunity for industrial and telecom batteries globally, presents a scalable long-term growth opportunity for ENTEK.”.
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Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 29
NEWS
Lead batteries still a driving force says Bush at ILZDA webinar The automotive market is set to be a “major driver” for lead demand up to and beyond 2030, ILA managing director Andy Bush told a February 18 webinar hosted by the India Lead Zinc Development Association. Bush told the webinar — ‘Global Outlook for Lead & Zinc 2022 & Beyond’ — research from Avicenne Energy indicated that the auto market was experiencing “significant transition” that would benefit lead. “Lead batteries are expected to dominate this market up to 2030 and beyond and that is going to be a major driver for lead demand through 2030 and beyond,” Bush said. “There is significant growth in micro hybrids, which represents a significant and growing market for lead worldwide. “Europe has led the way for the adoption of micro hybrids, followed by the US and other regions of the world, which are adopting them at different paces.” Bush warned more work would be needed to ensure lead batteries continued to meet performance requirements for micro and mild hybrid vehicles — require-
ments that he said was “comfortably attainable for lead batteries and, critically obtainable at a much lower cost than lithium batteries”. And despite the growth of the electric vehicles market, Bush said the implications for lead were still positive. “EV market penetration forecasts vary substantially, but we tend to use Avicenne’s scenarios, which predict a market penetration for lead of maybe 20% by 2030 into the new vehicle market.” “Avicenne also, critically, predicts that EVs will continue to use 12V auxiliary lead batteries and that’s something that we also feel confident will continue,” Bush said. “And we mustn’t forget that roughly 80% of the 12V market is the aftermarket, so lead battery demand is really baked in… whether that’s in EVs or combustion engine vehicles. “We don’t see lead batteries being replaced in either of those markets for the foreseeable future.” Bush acknowledged there was “still work to do” to improve the performance of auxiliary batteries for EVs, to ensure they “remain the
technology of choice in the future”. Meanwhile, lead batteries are a “strong contender” to flourish in the energy storage sector, particularly for the residential market, which is expected to see massive growth in demand “even by conservative forecasts”, Bush said. Smaller-scale industrial applications up to 10MW are also “sweet spots” for lead batteries, he added. “Even if lead batteries only take a relatively small share of that market, it will represent a significant demand for lead in the future. The question is what does it take to achieve that, because lead currently has a very small share there.” Increased research to improve the performance of batteries, especially in terms of calendar and cycle life and efficiency, without increasing costs, is also key and is something CBI is focused on. But Bush reiterated ongoing challenges — such as policy and legislative threats posed to the lead industry in Europe. The US market is also “entering an active period of legislative reform on lead”,
Bush warned. “Critically, there is a lack of any substantive market substitution legislation unlike Europe”. “But longer term we have to recognize that, as an industry globally, there will be pressure to substitute hazardous materials in general, including lead, and so we need to keep that under constant review.” In traditional markets, telecoms continues to be dominated by lead batteries and demand is expected to remain stable. Lead is also expected to eat further into the UPS market, where Bush said Avicenne predicts growth of around 1.5% through to 2030. Motive power is “the most challenging” market for lead batteries, with forecasts of a 2% decline of the lead share of that market up to 2030, with lithium making greater inroads. But that does not take into account “the enormous potential for lead batteries in e-bikes and e-trikes”, Bush said. According to estimates from CHR Metals’ Huw Roberts, about 2.5 million tonnes of lead is going into that market annually.
BCI webinar highlights essential role of lead An on-demand webinar to support US policymakers mapping out plans for the country’s transportation and energy future was posted online by Battery Council International on February 15. In the 20-minute webinar — ‘Vehicle Electrification and the Essential Role of Lead Batteries’ — leaders from lead battery majors East Penn and Clarios discuss the role of advanced batteries in the evolution from internal combustion
engines to hybrids, fully electric and autonomous vehicles. BCI executive vice president Roger Miksad said: “The electric needs of today’s vehicles have increased approximately 50% over the past 10 years, and the 12V advanced lead battery will be the reliable, sustainable and safe energy source for these functions as the shift to electrified and autonomous vehicles intensifies.” Miksad said the webinar
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had been available on demand — just before National Battery Day on February 18 — to make it accessible at any time. “We know that policymakers and our stakeholders have busy schedules. Just as streaming has become a preferred method for viewing television shows and movies, we believe it’s also an effective way to connect with policymakers.” According to BCI, the US lead battery industry has an annual economic impact
of $26.3 billion, with more than 92,000 direct and indirect jobs across 38 states. Lead batteries are a baseline energy storage technology used in automotive, telecommunications, electric power, mining, agriculture, marine, and data centers. In addition to being the world’s most recycled product, lead batteries provide 60% of the global rechargeable energy storage market — and have significant potential for even better performance, BCI said.
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NEWS
ABC bipolar batteries to be used for EV charging for GreenCore, Kilows Advanced Battery Concepts — which this year won the Battery Council International innovation award (see cover story for further details) — has announced two major sales achievements for its GreenSeal battery brand. In the first, announced on January 24, the batteries will power thousands of solar EV charging plazas across the US installed
by the EV charging station developer GreenCore, ABC announced on January 24. By the end of the decade this could amount to around 10,000 plazas, GreenCore said. The batteries will be charged by solar panels at each plaza, which have been designed to supplement grid energy with solar energy, ABC’s CEO Ed Shaffer says.
“The batteries are used to charge EVs to avoid high time-of-use charges and minimize interconnect charges.”
“The batteries are used to charge EVs to avoid high time-of-use charges and minimize interconnect charges,” he says. “The grid is available to ensure batteries are fully charged and power is available to charge EVs.” He said that the plazas would in general be convenience charging sites for ‘customers on the go’, and that each site would typically have between 150kWh and 350kWh storage systems. In a later announcement ABC said on March 23 it is to initially supply up to 20,000 of its GreenSeal
Gridtential in 12V development agreement with Camel Energy to optimize efficiencies Silicon Joule battery tech innovator Gridtential Energy, Camel Energy and a leading US automaker supplied by Camel, announced a product development agreement on April 4 that will focus on bipolar technology. Under the deal, engineering teams from US-based Gridtential and the Michigan subsidiary of China’s Camel Group will work to “optimize the thin-plate cell design and manufacturing of advanced bipolar batteries”, the firms said. Gridtential and Camel will also verify metrics of cycle life, energy density, battery efficiency and charge acceptance. The companies did not name the automaker involved, but said it was one of the top three of such companies in the US that is supplied by Camel. Camel said it has been approached by several large automotive companies to deliver Silicon Joule bipolar batteries for their vehicles — and deal with
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Gridtential aims to deliver start/stop batteries for internal combustion engine vehicles. The same technology architecture can also be used for low-voltage batteries in electric vehicles and extended to support 48V batteries most often used in mild-hybrid vehicles, the companies said. By replacing traditional lead plates with speciallyformulated silicon hybrid bipoles, Gridtential said
Zubo Zhang, Camel Energy: “Gridtential’s technology readily scales, allowing us to offer a suite of bipolar batteries for the transportation and other markets where Camel is dominant”
silicon hybrid batteries increase standard power density by three-fold, reduce weight by 30% or more, and have improved charge acceptance — “at least a 3x increase in dynamic charge acceptance”. Silicon hybrid batteries, it said, can also operate at higher temperatures and tolerate vibration better than traditional lead-based batteries — which the companies said were key metrics for the automotive industry. Camel said its silicon hybrid batteries will have at least twice the lifespan of a traditional 12V lead battery. Zubo Zhang, president of Camel Energy, said: “Gridtential’s technology readily scales, allowing us to offer a suite of bipolar batteries for the transportation and other markets where Camel is dominant. This all works well with Camel’s interest to expand our localization in North America with major automotive customers.”
batteries to support Kilows’ roll-out of ultrafast electric vehicle charging stations in the US. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding under which ABC will produce the initial energy storage systems at their Michigan plant — while ABC works with Kilows to potentially license its technology to produce more batteries for Kilows’ EV charging sites. Kilows aims to expand its charging stations, linked to its ‘KiloPad’ app, to more than 5,000 locations across the US within the next five years. CEO John Strisower said ABC was “an ideal partner to help us deliver greener, ultrafast EV charging, while providing an excellent customer experience at a fraction of the cost of other battery solutions”. The Kilows agreement comes just weeks after ABC announced a deal to power thousands of solar EV charging plazas across the US installed by the EV charging station developer GreenCore. ABC chief executive Ed Shaffer said on January 24 that the batteries would be charged by solar panels at each plaza, which have been designed to supplement grid energy with solar energy. In November ABC launched its home emergency energy storage system (HEES), which supports grid-connected residential electricity users by providing around two days of power for vital applications such as refrigeration and heating. The system was developed by ABC to address what it sees as a growing need for safe and reliable emergency power in homes and small businesses.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 31
NEWS IN BRIEF Leoch profits up on overseas demand Chinese lead and lithium batteries group Leoch said in its full-year results announced on March 31 that strong overseas demand for batteries helped it increase profit and revenue in 2021. Net profit for the period, ended December 31, was Rmb166.7 million ($26 million) — up from Rmb138 million in 2020. Overall revenue increased 17.4% over the previous year to more than Rmb11.3 billion. Revenue from lead acid batteries was nearly Rmb9.25 billion (Rmb8.3 billion in 2020) and recycled lead products totalled revenue of more than Rmb2 billion (Rmb1.3 billion). Leoch chairman Dong Li said the increase in batteries revenue was boosted by overall growth of 27.3% in overseas markets, while growth in the domestic Chinese market was 0.4%. Revenue from the EMEA region increased 36.2% to almost Rmb1.9 billion. In the Americas, revenue was up 50.2% to more than Rmb1.5 billion while revenue fell 12.6% in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China) to just over Rmb780 million. Li said overseas buyers had turned to Leoch as a “stable source of supply” amid continued disruption in global production — despite longer delivery times caused by global delays in sea freight as international markets began their recovery from pandemic lockdowns and related restrictions. Revenue from recycled lead products rose to more than Rmb2 billion (previously Rmb1.3 billion). Li said Leoch’s recycling plant was fully utilized in 2021, hitting its permitted maximum production capacity of 200,000 tonnes. Revenue of around Rmb1.367 billion came from the sales of recycled lead products in 2021 to an unnamed single customer, which contributed to more than 10% of the total revenue of the group — including sales to a group of entities which Li said were known to be controlled by that customer. Meanwhile, Li said Leoch continued working on new models of lead acid and lithium ion batteries and “rolling out new products tailormade for applications in each of the network power and motive market segments.
32 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
“Although there was no aggressive expansion in production capacity for lead acid batteries in 2021, we are gradually expanding our production capacity in lithium ion batteries according to our strategic plan.” However, Li said Leoch had hit the “fast forward button” since 2020 in producing products to support the development of 5G telecoms networks, including lead and lithium batteries for various applications. He said 5G projects were forecast to rapidly increase demand for lithium batteries in base stations from 2021 to 2025, adding: “We expect the demand for lithium iron phosphate batteries used in communications will continue to expand.” Leoch aims to use its lithium ion manufacturing base to capture new opportunities in the LFP sector, Li said. Refined lead metal ‘exceeded demand’ in 2021 The global supply of refined lead metal in 2021 exceeded demand by 46 kilotonnes, according to latest preliminary data published by the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) on February 22. The international commodity organization said in its Review of Trends in 2021 analysis that inventories reported by the London Metal Exchange, Shanghai Futures Exchange and producers, merchants and consumers fell by 55kt and totalled 390kt at the year end. World output of refined lead metal increased by 3.3% — despite the closure of Clarios’ 100kt per year secondary lead smelter in the US in March and the temporary suspension of activities at Ecobat’s Stolberg smelter in Germany in July last year, ILZSG said. This was primarily a consequence of rises in a number of countries including Belgium, China, France, India, South Korea, Mexico, Poland and the UK. The output of refined lead metal from secondary raw material accounted for 64.7% of global production in 2021, compared to 63.3% in 2020. Global demand for refined lead metal rose by 4.3%. This was mainly influenced by increases in Brazil, India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Taiwan and the US. In China, demand grew by 1.6% and in Europe by 3.4%, which ILZSG said was principally a result
of rises in the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and the UK, which were partially offset by reductions in Austria, Germany and Ireland. Meanwhile, world lead mine supply increased by 3.8% in 2021, with rises in China, Bolivia, India, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Turkey that were partially balanced by a reduction in Poland, ILZSG said. Chinese imports of lead contained in lead concentrates fell by 9.4% in 2021 and amounted to 682kt. Net exports of refined lead metal totalled 76kt compared to net imports of 32kt in 2020. GS Yuasa digs in for new UK headquarters GS Yuasa has broken ground at the site of a new HQ and distribution centre in the UK, the company said on March 23. The 178,500 sq ft (about 16,500 sq m) facility at Dorcan, Swindon, will stock batteries and accessories to service all of the Japan-based battery giant’s markets including automotive and industrial applications. GS Yuasa Battery Sales UK said the facility will have around 23,000 pallet spaces and stock hundreds of thousands of batteries for supply into UK and European markets — including its three core product brands GS Yuasa, Yuasa and GS. The site build is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022, with the warehouse and office fit-out process, testing, move and ramp up phases to follow. The site should be fully operational in the summer of 2023. Leclanché gets order for first LeBlock ESS in Germany Swiss energy storage group Leclanché is to supply its LeBlock battery system for a solar park project in Germany, the company announced on April 20. The 11.9MWh lithium ion system will be supplied to power management company Olmatic for the Sembach solar park — Leclanché’s first LeBlock facility in Germany since launching the technology in 2021. A LeBlock ESS comprises a series of interchangeable 1.5 metre-wide blocks that are combined through plug-and-play connections. In addition to lithium ion batteries, the system architecture includes cooling, temperature management and fire protection systems.
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NEWS IN BRIEF ILZSG: lead batteries set for wide adoption as China expands back up power The International Lead and Zinc Study Group’s (ILZSG) January 10 briefing paper — Future Trends in China’s Economic Development — said the country’s 14th five-year plan included a focus on developing data centres, cloud computing and the “digitization of traditional infrastructures such as energy and utilities”. The paper said: “A secure and reliable power supply is of paramount importance in ensuring the stable operation of these modern infrastructures, and this provides opportunities for zinc and lead containing batteries. “It is also anticipated that lead acid batteries will be widely adopted in power backup facilities.” The paper noted that other battery types are also “vying for the growth potential in these sectors” — but said “zinc and lead containing batteries could be an ideal option for wide adoption, thanks to their improving energy density and low cost”. China’s demand for imported lead ore and concentrates over the past 20 years has bolstered the international trading market and provided strong support for overseas lead mining activities, according to the ILZSG. Between 2004 and 2020, China bought 20%40% of the lead ore and concentrate produced outside the country. However, the ILZSG said as China embraces stricter emissions policies — with a pledge to reach a carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 — non-ferrous metals companies, including lead and zinc smelting and refining operations, “will be put under strict scrutiny”. This is “very likely to
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result in higher operational costs and the requirement for cleaner raw materials when importing ores and concentrates.” Atomized Products gets IATF certification for its battery expanders The quality management systems for Atomized Products Group, Inc. and Atomized Products Group of Chesapeake, Inc. have been certified to the IATF 16949:2016 standard for the manufacture of TEXEX battery expanders, the firm announced in midDecember.
IATF 16949:2016 is the premium quality management standard for the automotive industry recognized by all participating members of the International Automotive Task Force, which includes such firms as DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Stellantis, BMW and Volkswagen. “This certification gives our battery-manufacturing customers worldwide the confidence that APG’s TEXEX expanders are of the utmost quality and that APG is ready, willing and able to support the
automotive industry through any challenges or evolutions that come its way,” says Lee Puckett, president of Atomized Products Group. “Additionally, our customers in the motive power, standby power and energy storage industries can point to this certification for peace of mind when using our products in their own applications. “We at APG remain committed to supporting the lead-acid battery industry with high quality products and excellent customer service.”
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Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 33
RECYCLING NEWS
Clarios expands recycling with acquisition of Spanish recycler Metalúrgica de Medina Clarios has acquired Spanish battery recycler Metalúrgica de Medina, the international automotive battery company told Batteries International on March 23. Metalúrgica, which recycles car batteries and other compounds to obtain pure ingots and other alloys, has an annual capacity of around 59,000 tonnes of recycled lead. Clarios’ vice president of operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Jose Domingo, said the acquisition gave the company “access to high-quality input materials and tolling in
key regions where we operate. “The acquisition further centralizes and vertically integrates our business to reduce supplier risks and lower costs.” Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but Clarios said the acquisition was “a natural extension” of its existing partnership with Metalúrgica. More than 90% of Metalúrgica’s offtake goes to Clarios. Metalúrgica is Clarios’ largest tolling partner in the EMEA region and provides tolling — the financial ar-
rangement whereby scrap metal collected by the battery manufacturer is returned and a fee paid for the lead to be recycled, ready to be reused in batteries — for all production scrap and customer cores collected from Clarios’ Spanish plants. In the EMEA region, Clarios already has nine production sites, five logistics centres, 12 sales offices and one recycling centre. Neil Hawkes, base metals principal analyst at CRU in the UK told Batteries International that companies such as Clarios have been have been pushing for
a long time to secure more lead supplies via tolling agreements for their battery manufacturing plants. Hawkes said: “Now that they have acquired the smelter, is this a tacit admission that it is easier to buy a smelter rather than toll with it on a third-party basis? “The hugely fragmented nature of scrap collection across Europe, with lots of small-to-mid-sized players along the chain, makes it difficult for big battery makers like Clarios to make inroads in lifting lead volumes through tolling arrangements.”
Work starts on UAE lead battery plant and processing operations Ground has been broken for a combined lead acid battery manufacturing plant and recycling facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italian group Seri Industrial announced on March 22. The company behind the Dubai Industrial City project — Dubatt Battery Recycling — is a joint venture between Dubai-based Regency Group and Seashore Group. Dubatt is investing AED110 million (about $30 million) in the project. Meanwhile, Dubatt is discussing a potential technology partnership with Seri group company, Faam Italia, to also produce advanced lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles and other applications. The 154,000 square-feet recycling plant is to be operational by January 2023, while the advanced lead acid battery plant is set to start operating within the next two years. Regency Group corporate management chairman, Shamsudheen Bin Mohideen, said the battery plant would be commissioned over the next two years and would produce a “made in
the UAE battery brand”. The battery plant will be built on a 70,000 square-feet site. Dubatt director Hasique Pandikadavath said the small to medium sized recycling plant would start with a 10-tonne-hour battery crusher, a four-cubic-meter fuser and four refining kettles. The initial recycling capacity would be up to 25,000
tonnes of used lead acid batteries annually, producing 14,000 tonnes of lead ingots and 1,750 tonnes of plastic chips to be sold to battery manufacturers, the medical sector, fisheries and other industrial sectors. There was no indication provided by the firm as how the slag from the smelting would be disposed of — an issue that has troubled per-
mitting in the region in the past. Pandikadavath said this represented the recycling of about 35% of the scrap lead acid batteries generated in the UAE each year. “We are planning to double our recycling capacity within a year of commercial production and our plant is built with this arrangement to expand.”
ABR highlights role US recyclers should play in powering energy storage future The Association of Battery Recyclers (ABR) highlighted the key role played by lead battery recycling in underpinning an expansion of energy storage in the US in new data published on March 16. ABR, the trade association for North American lead battery recyclers, gave details of the high standards deployed by the industry on a new website launched in the run-up to Global Recycling Day on March 18. ABR president Rick Leiby said: “Our country’s well established lead battery recycling system has become
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the standard for creating a circular economy for all battery recycling. “As demand for battery energy storage continues to rise, the success of lead battery recycling is the benchmark for other technologies. “Batteries are critical for meeting demand growth in energy storage, for vital industries such as security, data centres, electrified transportation and renewable energy.” According to the ABR, around 130 million lead batteries are typically diverted from US landfill sites annually, giving the coun-
try a 99% recycling rate. In turn, a new lead battery typically consists of about 80% recycled material from used lead batteries. Today, 62% of the lead needed for a new lead battery made in the US is supplied by US lead battery recyclers. Leiby said: “These statistics are especially relevant in this time of supply chain disruption. The US must continue to become more self-sufficient by domestically providing the raw materials needed to maintain advanced lead battery manufacturing in the US.”
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RECYCLING NEWS Ford, Volvo back Redwood Materials’ California collection and recycling push Nevada-based Redwood Materials announced on February 17 it had launched an EV batteries collection and recycling project in California backed by Ford and Volvo. Redwood said the car firms are the first to directly support the program — but all lithium ion and nickel metal hydride batteries in the state will be welcomed into the scheme and other car makers are invited to support the scheme. A spokesperson told Batteries International the program was “focused solely on lithium ion and nickel metal hydride batteries, working directly with auto dismantlers and dealers to find them”. “The pathways for lead acid are quite mature with 99%+ already being recycled.” Redwood announced last September it was expanding its operations to produce battery materials for the US market. The company said it would “safely package, transport, and recycle” these batteries at its facilities in neighbouring Northern Nevada — returning “high quality, recycled materials back into domestic cell production”. Annually, 6GWh of lithium ion batteries or the equivalent of 60,000 EVs, pass through Redwood. The company said this represents “most of the recycled lithium ion batteries in North America today”. Ford invested $50 million in Redwood in 2021 for a partnership to create a circular materials supply chain for production of EV batteries in the US.
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Li-Cycle signs recycling, investment deals with LG Chem and LG Energy Solution Li-Cycle has completed various commercial arrangements to become the preferred lithium ion battery recycling partner in North America for LG Chem and LG Energy Solution (LES), the companies announced on April 21. The signing of an agreement with LES for the supply of manufacturing scrap for recycling and deals with both LES and LG for the sale of nickel sulphate from Li-Cycle’s recycling Rochester hub, in the state of New York, paves the way for the Korean group’s companies to finalize a $50
million investment in LiCycle. All three companies said the agreements would support increasing demand for lithium ion batteries and their critical materials for the energy storage and electric vehicle batteries markets — and the partners would continue to explore additional opportunities globally. Li-Cycle co-founder and CEO Ajay Kochhar said: “We’re thrilled to advance our collaboration… Together, we are driving sustainable global electrification through the creation of
this milestone closed-loop ecosystem in the lithium ion battery supply chain.” The recycling company announced in September that Koch Strategic Platforms (KSP), a subsidiary of Koch Investments Group, was making a $100 million investment in LiCycle through the purchase of a convertible note. Li-Cycle said then that the incremental capital being raised from KSP would be directed towards the accelerated expansion of the battery recycling footprint, both in North America and internationally.
EU batteries supply chain facing looming crisis, recycling needed Europe faces major shortages of the key materials needed to make the batteries to power the bloc’s clean energy transition, according to a study published on April 25. Eurometaux, which represents non-ferrous metals producers and recyclers in Europe, said the independent study by Belgium’s KU Leuven research university showed the bloc could face problems around 2030 from global supply shortages for five metals — especially lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, and copper. Meanwhile, the study said coal-powered Chinese and Indonesian metal production will dominate global refining capacity growth for battery metals and rare earths — while Europe continues to rely on Russia for its supply of aluminium, nickel and copper. The study says Europe faces “critical shortfalls” in the next 15 years without more mined and refined
“Europe needs to decide urgently how it will bridge its looming supply gap for primary metals. Without a decisive strategy, it risks new dependencies on unsustainable suppliers” metals to supply batteries needed for electric vehicles, energy storage systems and renewable power infrastructure. Study lead author Liesbet Gregoir said: “Europe needs to decide urgently how it will bridge its looming supply gap for primary metals. Without a decisive strategy, it risks new dependencies on unsustainable suppliers.” The study recommends that Europe link up with “proven responsible suppliers” to manage environmental and social risks and asks why the bloc has not yet followed other global powers, such as China, in investing in mines to ensure environmental, social and governance standards.
Recycling metals in Europe could produce three quarters of Europe-made battery cathodes by 2050 if it “invests heavily now and fixes bottlenecks”, according to the study. However, recycling “will not provide a major EU supply source to Europe’s electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technologies until after 2040”, the study says. Meeting the European Union’s so-called green deal goal of climate neutrality by 2050 will require 35 times more lithium and seven to 26 times the amount of increasingly scarce rare earth metals, “compared to Europe’s limited use today”, the study says.
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS
GM launches V2G, V2H power study for PG&E in California General Motors is to pilot the use of its electric vehicles as on-demand power sources for homes served by the Pacific Gas & Electric utility in California, GM announced on March 8. The pilot’s first vehicleto-home capable EV and charger will be tested by this summer — including the use of bidirectional hardware coupled with software to enable power to flow from a charged EV into a home — “automati-
cally coordinating between the EV, home and PG&E’s electric supply”, GM said. After lab testing, PG&E and GM plan to test vehicleto-home interconnection by allowing a small number of customers’ homes to receive power from the EV when power stops flowing from the grid. The goal is to extend to larger customer tries by the end of the year. GM CEO Mary Barra said the pilot program, using multiple GM EVs,
further expands its electrification strategy, “demonstrating our EVs are reliable mobile sources of power. Our teams are working to rapidly scale this pilot and bring bidirectional charging technology to our customers.” By the end of 2025, GM says it plans to have more than one million units of EV capacity in North America to respond to growing demand, using the company’s Ultium battery
VPP tech firm GridBeyond makes moves into Australian market Energy tech company GridBeyond said on April 21 it is to start providing virtual power plant services in Australia. The company, whose investors include Saft battery maker owner TotalEnergies, will work with businesses through Australia’s National Elec-
tricity Market, also using GridBeyond’s artificial intelligence and data science technology for commercial and industrial customers to take part in grid balancing, trading energy generation and storage through wholesale markets. GridBeyond said it started commercially trad-
ing in Ireland in 2010 with €800,000 (about $858,000) in backing from the AIB Seed Capital Fund, which is managed by the Dublin Business Innovation Centre. In 2011, the company developed an integrated energy management system for demandside response services.
Canada Pension Plan invests in Hydrostor for A-CAES projects Energy storage firm Hydrostor said on April 19 it had secured a $25 million investment boost or its Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) projects from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The CPP’s backing follows a $250 million investment pledge for Hydrostor made in January by investment bank Goldman Sachs. CPP said its financing would support Torontobased Hydrostor’s strategy of developing, constructing, and operating A-CAES facilities globally. Hydrostor says its ACAES technology works by compressing air using
electricity — preferably from renewable sources — then extracting heat from the air and storing it inside a purpose-built cavern, where hydrostatic compensation is used to maintain the system at a constant pressure during operation. The compressed air is converted to electricity on demand and can provide long-duration storage in a similar way to pumped hydro, the firm says. Hydrostor has projects underway in Toronto, Ontario, California and New South Wales, and is looking at South America for future installations. CPP’s managing director and head of sustainable
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energies Bruce Hogg said: “Long-duration energy storage is a critical component in the decarbonization of electrical grids. Hydrostor’s solutions provide a unique investment opportunity aligned with our focus on the energy evolution.” On February 22, Hydrostor said a consortium it had formed with French energy group EDF and Io Consulting was awarded £1 million ($1.3 million) from the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to assess Hydrostor’s technology using mothballed gas cavities in the UK.
technology developed with joint venture partner LG Energy Solution. According to the sustainable development scenario of the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2020, released in June that year, the cumulative total of 16,000GWh of energy expected to be stored in EV batteries globally in 2030 “could actively provide energy to the grid at suitable times via V2G solutions”. The firm continued to attract fresh funding and expanded its operations to Great Britain in 2012. GridBeyond entered the US market with an office in Texas in 2020 and opened an HQ in Japan last year. As of 2021, the company said it had a global portfolio of more than 1GW of load. GridBeyond CEO Michael Phelan said the frequency response market in Australia was similar to ones the company manages in Ireland to handle flexible energy resources and “co-optimise them with wholesale trading”. “Our microgrid controls that integrate electric vehicles are also a good fit for Australia’s energy market need,” Phelan said. “Operating in the VPP & DERMS (distributed energy resource management systems) market that is planned to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20% by 2026, GridBeyond is strongly positioned to continue the significant growth we have seen and to continue to support businesses, asset owners and grid operators throughout the transition to a net zero future and beyond.”
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS
Energy Dome, Ansaldo sign ‘CO2 Battery’ storage deal Italian energy tech start-up Energy Dome said on April 4 it had signed a deal to expand use of its ‘CO2 Battery’ technology in long-duration storage systems across Europe in partnership with Italy’s Ansaldo Energia. Ansaldo will provide equipment, engineering, and construction for the “grid-scale energy storage projects” across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the companies said. Energy Dome’s first commercial CO2 Battery storage
facility, which the company said uses a non-flammable, non-toxic carbon dioxidebased energy storage solution to store and dispatch power, is nearing completion in Sardinia, Italy. The company said its technology “does not involve scarce and environmentally challenging raw materials like lithium”. Instead, it uses carbon dioxide and “offthe-shelf components to charge and discharge power from four to 24 hours, enabling renewables to serve as
fully-dispatchable daily energy resources”. According to Energy Dome, its technology uses CO2 in a closed-loop charge/ discharge cycle as a storage agent. Before charging, gaseous CO2 is kept in a large dome structure. During charging, electricity from the grid is used to compress the CO2 into liquid form, creating stored heat in the process. During discharge, the liquid CO2 is evaporated using the stored heat, expanded back into its
gaseous form, and used to drive a turbine to generate electricity. CO2 Batteries “can be deployed anywhere at less than half the cost of similar-sized lithium-ion battery storage facilities and have superior round-trip efficiency, with no performance degradation over a 25-year lifecycle”, Energy Dome said. As many as 30 such facilities are anticipated to be built under the partnership with Ansaldo over the next five years.
Gravitricity receives £920k for feasibility study Scotland-based Gravitricity said on February 23 it had secured UK government backing towards a £1.5 million ($1.9 million) feasibility study to develop a multi-weight energy storage system to be built on a brownfield site in northern England. The Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is contributing a grant of just over £912,000 for the project, in which Gravitricity will work with partners companies to deliver the front-end engi-
neering design (FEED) for a 4MWh, multi-weight system using a custom-built shaft. The project aims to pave the way for work on a fullscale commercial prototype multi-weight gravity energy store at a grid-connected site in the north of Meanwhile Gravitricity said it is also moving ahead with plans to build a “fullscale single-weight project in a disused mine shaft in mainland Europe”, starting this year, although it did not disclose details. Funding for the FEED
study was allocated from a BEIS competitive funding scheme to accelerate the commercialization of innovative energy storage projects that can contribute to ‘net zero’. Gravitricity said analysts at Imperial College predict the Gravitricity’s patented multi-weight concept will offer long duration energy storage at a lower levellized cost than alternative technologies, including lithium ion batteries, the company said. The feasibility project follows a 250kW demonstra-
tion program conducted in Leith, Edinburgh in 2021. Managing director Charlie Blair said: “Our multi weight concept has been proven by our Leith demonstrator, where two 25 tonne weights were configured to run independently, delivering smooth continuous output when lowered one after the other. “We were able to demonstrate a round-trip efficiency of more than 80% and the ability to ramp up to full import or export power in less than a second.”
Eos hails revenue boost, announces expansion
e-Zinc raises $25m for zinc-air ESS pilot scheme
Zinc-based battery storage developer Eos Energy Enterprises Revenue posted a major jump in full-year revenue of $4.6 million for 2021 on February 25, although reported an operating loss of $135 million. Revenue increased from $0.2 million in the year-ago period while losses included $30 million to terminate an agreement involving the company’s Hi-Power subsidiary. But CEO Joe Mastrangelo said in its first full year as a public company, Eos had made “the successful transition” to become an
Toronto-based e-Zinc has secured $25 million in a series ‘A’ financing to start pilot production of its first commercial zinc-air energy storage systems. According to e-Zinc, the company recently validated that its zincair battery “can discharge energy for several days at rated power, compared to only a few hours for most other battery types”. CEO James Larsen said: “We now have the opportunity to execute high-value commercial pilot projects that provide in-field validation for our batteries.” He said the company had
industrial manufacturer — buoyed by booked orders of $137.4 million resulting in a backlog of $148.7 million as of December 31, 2021. Mastrangelo said the backlog represented an eight-fold increase from the $18.2 million as of December 31, 2020 and the current backlog included $34 million of future recurring services revenue. And Mastrangelo highlighted Eos’ unveiling of plans just two days earlier to more than triple output at its manufacturing site in Pennsylvania to 800MWh.
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refined its technology since raising seed funding in 2020. “We have achieved many critical technical milestones, such as demonstrating how our system pairs to solar and grid generation, developing the balance of system and implementing a software and controls layer. The latest financing round was led by Anzu Partners, with additional funding from BDC Capital, Toyota Ventures, and Eni Next. Existing investors, including Seed Round lead investor Energy Foundry, also participated.
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS
Invinity agrees vanadium storage deal with Hyosung Corporation Invinity Energy Systems said on April 8 it had agreed to forge a partnership with Hyosung Heavy Industries — the power and industrial systems group of the Hyosung Corporation, one of Korea’s largest conglomerates. The companies signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding for
the partnership, including an exclusive relationship in South Korea, after concluding what Invinity said was a successful test and validation program with HHI. HHI said it had comprehensively tested a 200kWh energy storage system from Invinity, a company created through the 2020 merger of flow battery providers redT
energy and Avalon Battery. The ESS has been in operation since HHI bought it in 2020 and “has now been validated as suitable for addition to Hyosung’s growing portfolio of projects across the world”, HHI said. HHI is a supplier of heavy electrical equipment and one of the Korean region’s largest energy storage and
Redflow hails milestone US project, posts further losses but revenues rise Australian flow battery maker Redflow said on February 28 it had completed a 2MWh zinc-bromine energy storage system in California — its biggest single deployment to date. The announcement came as Redflow posted revenue of A$1.2 million ($863,000) in first-half results for fiscal 2022, a year-on-year increase of 172%. However, the company recorded a loss after income tax of A$6.5 million, compared to a loss of A$2.9 million in the yearago period. Redflow said the loss was the result of increased costs for raw material and consumables and higher fixed costs, as the company po-
sitions the business for a “scale up” from the 2023 financial year. But the company said it had raised a total of A$10.8 million in capital to underpin its push into international markets, “with the aim of converting opportunities into sales and revenue”. Redflow CEO Tim Harris said the California project — for Anaergia’s Rialto Bioenergy Facility — was “a very significant milestone, providing a high visibility 2MWh reference installation for our growth into the US and other global markets”. The Anaergia system comprises 192 zinc-bromine flow batteries, validating the
technology and providing a live reference for customers, Redflow said. Meanwhile, Mark Higgins, who has been supporting the company’s US growth plans as a strategic adviser, has been appointed as Americas president and chief commercial officer. Higgins is a former chair of the US Department of Commerce’s renewable energy and energy efficiency advisory committee. In Australia, Redflow completed its delivery of flow batteries for the Optus bushfire resiliency program — supporting the federal government’s ‘strengthening telecommunications against natural disasters’ initiative.
ESS expands European storage business Iron-based flow battery storage company ESS said on March 16 it is expanding its European operations — to meet expected demand for long-duration storage as the continent attempts to scale back its dependency on Russian gas. ESS said the RussiaUkraine conflict is set to accelerate Europe’s ramping up of renewable power and give new impetus for investments in long-duration energy storage as countries seek to reduce use of gas-powered gen-
eration of electricity. The company intends to expand deployment of its LDES systems in Europe during the second half of 2022 — and has appointed Alan Greenshields as Europe director. He brings more than 25 years of executive experience to the company. ESS has already announced orders from ENEL in Spain for 17 ESS Energy Warehouse iron flow battery systems, providing a combined capacity of 8.5MWh, which will be
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used to support an EUbacked solar farm and provide resilience for the local power grid. According to ESS, the European region is to require up to 20TWh of long-duration energy storage capacity if it is to meet UN climate change goals of ‘grid net zero’ by 2040. ESS chief executive Eric Dresselhuys said: “Based on our success in the US, it makes sense to bring our technology to the European market where demand is so strong.”
renewable energy project developers, with around 2GWh of operational projects worldwide. HHI will become the exclusive representative for Invinity’s VS3 products in Korea, with further nonexclusive rights to sell Invinity’s products in Hyosung’s other global markets. Under the terms of the companies’ agreement, Hyosung could also manufacture “elements of Invinity’s VS3 products”. Redflow said it delivered a total of 241 batteries to customers across the US, South Africa and Australia during the first half, while the start of commercial production for its next iteration ‘Generation 3’ batteries was “on track” for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. Key improvements to the batteries include major advancements to stack technology, tank architecture, improved cooling and a new electronics control system, which Redflow said will enable it to achieve a 30% reduction in costs. Separately, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) said on February 24 it was using batteries from Australia’s Redflow to conduct research to characterize the operating and safety profile of redox flow batteries under nominal and off-nominal conditions. Redflow’s zinc-bromine batteries are the focus of the test program conducted by UL’s Electrochemical Safety Research Institute, in collaboration with Stress Engineering Services (SES), to understand key technical attributes of redox flow batteries, study their cycle life and aging properties. The program also aims to establish how the batteries behave under over-discharge and external shortcircuit conditions. UL bought six Redflow batteries in 2021, which arrived at SES’ Texas facility in December.
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS
Reliance Industries’ unit to acquire Lithium Werks India’s Reliance Industries said on March 14 a subsidiary unit had agreed to acquire battery maker Lithium Werks in a $61 million deal to expand energy storage and EV battery development for the Indian market. Reliance New Energy Limited said it had signed definitive agreements to “acquire substantially all of the assets”, including the entire patent portfolio of the Netherlands-based lithium iron phosphate (LFP) group, its manufacturing facilities in China, “key
business contracts and hiring of existing employees as a going concern”. Reliance Industries chairman, Mukesh Ambani, said the deal “will enable us to accelerate our vision of establishing India at the core of developments in global battery chemistries — and help us provide a secure, safe and high-performance supply chain to the large and growing Indian EV and energy storage markets”. “LFP is fast gaining as one of the leading cell chemistries due to its cobalt and nickel free batteries, low
cost and longer life compared to NMC and other chemistries,” Ambani said. Other commentators say that the advantages of safety and price with LFP batteries ignore the fact that there is no commercial gains to be had by recycling them. Their lack of valuable elements such as cobalt, manganese and nickel, makes them an end-of-life drawback and expense. Reliance said that, combined with agreements announced last December to acquire UK sodium-ion battery tech developer Fara-
dion, it plans to set up an “end-to-end battery ecosystem”, including the manufacturing of battery cells, cathodes, anodes and electrolyte. Lithium Werks was founded in 2017 through acquisition of various assets of Valence Technology and A123 Systems and has nearly 200MWh annual production capacity including coating, cell and custom module manufacturing capabilities. The acquisition should be complete by June, subject to various regulatory and other conditions.
NREL looks for ‘sweet spot’ in behind-the-meter ESS Research underway at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory aims to find the best way to maximize battery technology in behind-the-meter stationary storage (BTMS) systems, the lab said on March 24. NREL researchers, as part of the US Department of Energy’s BTMS Consortium, are developing new lithium ion battery designs specific to stationary storage requirements. Project leader and NREL research Yeyoung Ha said: “We already know a lot about lithium ion batteries,
but batteries for different applications have different requirements. “Our research looks at how to leverage the developments from electric vehicle battery research for new applications in stationary storage. “Our goal is to identify a ‘sweet spot’ to leverage the advantages of electrode loading and increased temperatures to maximize the performance of LTO/LMO battery cells. Our research refined material designs for BTMS specifically, converting this well-known power
Zenobe unveils plans for Scottish BESS first UK headquartered Zenobe announced on April 28 it had started construction of what will be the largest battery built in Scotland to date — and the country’s first transmission-connected battery storage project. The 50MW/100MWh facility in North Lanarkshire will help ease grid constraints, stabilize the system and enable 640GWh more renewable generation to travel from north to south of the country over the next 15 years, Zenobe said.
Fluence’s Gridstack lithium-based energy storage system technology will be deployed for the project, which should start operations by the end of 2022. James Basden, co-founder and director of Zenobe, said the battery is the first of a series of “major battery flexibility projects” by the company and part of around £500 million ($630 million) worth of investments it intends to invest in Scotland in the next five years.
42 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
chemistry to energy cells.” NREL said the research had already evaluated the temperature-dependent performance of LTO/LMO cells with various electrode loadings. Researchers determined that using thicker electrodes in battery designs can increase the cell capacity and energy density, while decreasing overall cell costs. The NREL team’s work showed that by allowing batteries to have intermittent rest during discharge, instead of being fully dis-
charged as for electric vehicles, the electrode utilization was “significantly improved”. Researchers found this type of pulsed discharge is well suited for BTMS stationary applications, where the batteries are used only when there is intermittent demand and then transitioned back to a resting stage. Details of the research have been published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society.
Duke Energy in solar-battery storage first for US utility Duke Energy announced a “first of its kind” project for the US utility on March 10, as part of three new battery storage projects. The company said completion of the near-18 MW lithium ion battery facility, at its 45MW Lake Placid solar power plant, in Highlands County, was the first time it had added battery storage to a utility-scale solar facility — allowing solar energy to be dispatchable by the company’s grid operators to improve overall plant efficiency. The other projects com-
pleted included the 11 MW Trenton lithium battery facility, 30 miles west of Gainesville in Gilchrist County and the 5.5MW Cape San Blas lithium facility — about 40 miles southeast of Panama City in Gulf County. Duke said the latter project was an “economical alternative” to replacing distribution equipment necessary to support increasing local demand. This year Duke Energy says it will have six battery sites in operation in Florida totalling 50MW of energy storage.
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS
Eurocell shortlists sites for first European gigafactory Anglo-Korean battery company Eurocell has shortlisted six potential locations for its first European gigafactory to target the region’s energy storage market, the company said on February 25. A Eurocell spokesperson told Batteries International that the company was in “deep discussions” concerning the possible sites, which are spread across the UK, the Netherlands and Spain, for its two-phase $800 million investment. Eurocell said its technology is ‘battery ready’, “perfectly suited to energy storage” and ready for scaling up to “full capacity” as early as 2025. The company said its ability to “capture any input charge under any condition at a 10C rate makes it the ideal storage solution
in combination with renewable energy”. But Eurocell declined to give details about the proposed gigafactory’s manufacturing capacity. Partner company Korean Eurocell has produced batteries at a plant it has in South Korea – from where its processes and technology would be sourced to launch production in Europe. The company said it would not discuss its battery chemistry, but CEO Recardo Bruins said the batteries’ performance, safety and longevity “make them ideal for ‘smart’ homes and offices, where you can store renewable energy, or energy from the grid at the cheapest tariff and then deploy it when you want to”. Bruins said: “Quite rightly, a lot of the debate so far has been about the electrifi-
Italvolt moves ahead with Italian gigafactory project Italian gigafactory developer Italvolt said on April 21 it had signed an agreement that paves the way to start production of lithium ion batteries in the second half of 2024. Italvolt said its memorandum of understanding with regional and Turin city authorities would “ensure efficient administrative action” for construction of the 45GWh gigafactory, on a 1,000,000m2 site that was previously home to Olivetti in Scarmagno, northeast of Turin. The final design for the facility — which is set to become a key producer of batteries for energy storage systems and electric vehicles — is to be finalized by June, followed by the receipt of construction permits by early 2023. Italvolt founder and CEO Lars Carlstrom said:
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“After the presentation of the preliminary project and the subsequent authorization obtained at the beginning of 2022, the signing of the memorandum of understanding confirms the progress of a project that is proceeding rapidly thanks to constant collaboration with all the local authorities.” Carlstrom was the cofounder and CEO of UK gigafactory project, Britishvolt, until he announced in December 2020 that he was stepping aside from that project. On October 12, 2021, Italvolt announced a partnership agreement with Swiss technology group ABB that included consultancy on robotics and autonomous operations for transportation and handling of material in the process units of the gigafactory.
cation of vehicles but we think it’s time to discuss the wider electrification of society. That’s not just about how we electrify our cars,
but how we will charge them while providing renewable off grid solutions and powering our industry and homes.”
Envision AESC plans US gigafactory in move to supply Mercedes-Benz China’s Envision AESC unveiled plans on March 16 for a new US gigafactory to supply battery cell modules for Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles produced in the country. A spokesperson for the battery tech group told Batteries International details of the project are to be announced next month. The planned facility aims to start operations in 2025 and will supply a MercedesBenz lithium-ion battery factory in Bibb County, Alabama — which the auto giant confirmed on March 15 had been opened a few months ahead of the start of production of all-electric Mercedes-EQ vehicles in the US. Envision AESC executive chairman Lei Zhang said: “Our planned investment in a new gigafactory will form
part of an ecosystem in the region, aimed at growing the local supply chain and developing the whole life cycle opportunities of batteries. “This marks a significant step forward in our company’s mission to be a leading technology partner to support the global transition to carbon neutral transportation. Mercedes-Benz Group’s chairman of the board of management, Ola Källenius, said: “The opening of our new battery plant in Alabama is a major milestone on our way to going allelectric. “With our comprehensive approach including a local cell sourcing and recycling strategy, we underline the importance of the US, where Mercedes-Benz has been successful for decades.”
KORE finalizes gigafactory site deal US-based battery cell tech company KORE Power has finalized the purchase of a site in Arizona to produce around 12GWh of lithium ion batteries annually for energy storage and electric vehicles, the company said on April 6. The company said it will build its two million square foot KOREPlex manufacturing facility on the site in Buckeye. Construction begins this summer and the company said it expects the facility to be fully operational in 2024. KOREPlex will be powered by on-site solar
and storage, “making it a net-zero facility”, KORE said. Founder and CEO Lindsay Gorrill said: “With the land secured, we can now move forward with our schedule to begin construction later this year and keep us on track to provide USmade lithium ion cells to EV and storage solution providers.” On March 23, KORE announced the launch of KORE Solutions — a new energy storage division in the US — following its acquisition of ESS company Northern Reliability.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 43
ENERGY STORAGE NEWS KORE Power launches new division after acquisition US-based battery cell tech company KORE Power said on March 23 it had acquired energy storage company Northern Reliability for an undisclosed sum — and had launched a new division called KORE Solutions. KORE chief executive Lindsay Gorrill said the new unit would combine NR’s decades of storage engineering and product development expertise with KORE Power’s battery cell capabilities. “KORE Solutions was formed to tackle global challenges, and with NR’s engineering and problemsolving capacity, we’ll develop better products and services across the energy storage sector,” Gorrill said. Gorrill also highlighted NR’s experience in deploying more than 1,000 energy storage projects to some of the most inhospitable locations on the planet, from remote islands to Antarctica. $20Africa fund boost to aid energy storage An Africa-focused fund to promote private investment in battery storage and energyefficient technologies has received a $20 million equity boost, the African Development Bank confirmed on March 10. The AfDB said it had made the combined equity investment in the AfricaGoGreen Fund with the bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa. The investment boost follows a $11.5 million equity contribution to AGG approved by the Nordic Development Fund in December 2021. AGG was launched in December 2020 by Germany’s state-
owned investment and development bank, KfW, which anticipates it to grow to around €150 million ($164 million) later this year. The fund is managed by LHGP Asset Management, part of the Lion’s Head Global Partners investment bank group. KfW’s director of global equity and funds, Jan Martin Witte, said: “These new investments are also expected to trigger additional investments by commercial investors and financiers either directly or through co-funding of projects.” Last October, the AfDB approved a $57.7 million loan, co-financed with the World Bank and New Development Bank, to South African national utility Eskom Holdings for a total of 800MWh of energy storage capacity across seven sites in the country. EU urged to adopt climate laws to expand storage Industry members of the European Battery Alliance said on March 23 that EU leaders must move quickly to adopt new climate laws, to encourage increased investment in stationary battery storage projects. The EBA said the European Commission’s ‘fit for 55’ plan — a package of proposed laws aimed at achieving a 55% net cut in emissions by 2030 — should be enacted swiftly, to promote an expansion of stationary storage at grid level and roll-out widespread development of integrated vehicle-to-grid systems. Energy storage and batteries have the potential to deliver a 100% renewable energy system, representatives of the EBA’s more than 750 battery industry member organizations said in a joint statement.
44 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
“Both the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine have highlighted the fundamental need for resilient industrial value chains, including batteries, for the EU’s economic growth and decarbonization as well as for its strategic autonomy,” the statement said. Nala Renewables boosts US BESS expansion with Long Island projects UK-headquartered Nala Renewables said on March 29 it is to develop four new battery energy storage projects in New York State. The renewable energy investor and developer is working with New York-based power and infrastructure firm, Rhynland Energy, to start building the facilities by mid-2024. The units will have a combined expected storage capacity of 280MW. Nala said the Long Island area sites have been procured and interconnection and entitlement work has started. Rhynland Energy managing director Gus Hadidi said the projects “will help provide much needed dispatchable capacity on Long Island and will support the development of renewable resources in New York State”. Nala, which is jointly owned by IFM Investors and Trafigura, has a presence in six countries and sees the US as a growth market in its expansion plans. The company recently started construction of a 25MW BESS in Belgium. UK-based Gore Street ramps up overseas ESS expansion London-listed Gore Street Energy Fund said on March 10 it was extending its push into
international markets with the acquisition of its first battery storage projects in the US. Gore Street is taking ownership of a portfolio of eight individual 9.9MW storage projects in Texas for an undisclosed sum from Perfect Power Solutions Texas, part of SER Capital Partners. The US acquisition followed Gore Street’s announcement on March 4 that it had completed its first acquisition in continental Europe — purchasing a 90% stake in a 28MWh operational energy storage facility based on LG Chem lithium ion tech in Cremzow, Germany. The Cremzow site was developed by Leclanché, Enel Green Power and Enertrag and Gore Street’s stake was purchased from Italy’s Enel Group subsidiary Enel X Germany. Gore Street’s combined energy storage portfolio after the Texas purchase will be 708MW, including the German acquisition. Fluence secures second order for BESS in Taiwan Fluence is to supply a 60MW/96MWh battery energy storage system to Taiwan — its second in the country — under contract to the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), it was announced on April 22. US-based Fluence will work with engineering services firm the TECO Group to supply the system for Taipower’s Taoyuan Longtan ultrahigh voltage substation, which is one of 29 such facilities and an important node of the 345KV power grid, Fluence said. The Taoyuan Longtan BESS will be the biggest built with an investment of more than NT$2.6 billion ($89 million) and
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS will account for 37.5% of Taipower’s total electricity storage capacity on completion. Fluence announced on December 20, 2021, that it had been chosen by Ina Energy, to deliver a 6MW/6MWh Gridstack BESS battery-based energy storage system (BESS) in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Batteries International reported on February 3 that Fluence was forming a 50-50 joint venture with Indian renewable energy company, ReNew Power, to target India’s fastdeveloping energy storage market. Ameresco $262 million increase is boost for California BESS US-based renewables developer Ameresco announced on March 7 it had secured a $262 million credit increase to support work on new projects, including a ramp up of battery energy storage systems in California. Ameresco confirmed last October that it had been awarded a design-build contract by Southern California Edison (SCE) to install a combined total 535MW of new battery storage across three of the utility’s substations. The company said the increase, which takes its total facility to $495 million, will be used to fund “various near and long-term growth objectives” — including its project for SCE. Ameresco said the new battery storage units in California should start commercial operation in August. PG&E starts up California Megapack to boost grid stability Pacific Gas and Electric Company said on April 18 it had commissioned
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its 182.5MW Elkhorn Battery — a Tesla Megapack battery energy storage system — at the US utility’s Moss Landing electric substation in California. The BESS was fully energized and certified for market participation by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) after final testing on April 7. Elkhorn was designed,
Eaton starts work on critical power HQ Power management group Eaton said on April 12 it had started construction of a UPS and energy storage manufacturing plant in Finland. Eaton said the 16,500 m² site in Vantaa will serve as the group’s critical power solutions headquarters and a “center of excellence for data centers” when it is
built and is maintained by PG&E and Tesla and is owned and operated by PG&E. PG&E said the system includes 256 lithium ion battery units, with the capacity to store and dispatch up to 730MWh of energy to the electrical grid at a maximum rate of 182.5MW for up to four hours during periods of high demand.
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS completed by the end of 2023. The decision to expand was prompted by growing demand for grid-interactive UPS and energy storage systems produced at Eaton’s existing factory in Espoo, Finland, the group said. Karina Rigby, president of Eaton’s critical systems and electrical sector for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: “It’s exciting to see how UPS technology has evolved over time. It not only ensures business continuity for critical applications but also plays a role in the switch to renewables, by acting as a source of flexibility that supports grid stability.” Eaton announced last September that it was working with Microsoft to identify ways for data Final Ad.pdf 1 9/17/2019 3:13:17 PM
centers to “monetize existing assets and integrate more renewable energy sources to help create a more sustainable and stable grid”. Honeywell to supply New Mexico BESS for solar farm Honeywell is to supply a 200MW energy storage system for a solar park in northern New Mexico, the company announced on February 28. The ESS will be supplied to Chicago-based Hecate Energy for a 50MW solar farm that should be completed in the middle of this year. Hecate said the solar farm will be capable of supplying enough electricity to power up to 16,000 average New Mexican homes for a year. The project is a part of an initiative by the
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Public Service Company of New Mexico and will help meet the state's decarbonization goals. Honeywell’s system will include its Experion energy control system that integrates asset monitoring, distributed energy resource management, supervisory control and analytics functionality. Ujjwal Kumar, president and CEO of Honeywell Process Solutions, said: “Hecate Energy, much like Honeywell, is focused on innovation and the latest technologies to lead the change in energy transition, making them an ideal collaborator in bringing renewable energy options to the table.” Queensland go-ahead for Chinchilla battery storage Australia’s Queensland state government is backing construction of a 100MW/200MWH Tesla Megapacks energy storage plant, CS Energy announced on March 30. CS Energy, the stateowned power company, will build the grid-scale plant near Chinchilla. Queensland treasurer and trade and investment minister, Cameron Dick, said the A$150 million ($113 million) plant should be in operation by the end of 2023. CS Energy CEO Andrew Bills said the plant would be built next to the company’s coal-fired Kogan Creek Power Station, providing its employees with exposure to new assets, training and skills as Australia’s energy sector transforms. “Large-scale batteries are an important next step in creating a more flexible and diversified energy portfolio for CS Energy and our owners, the people of Queensland,” he said. According to CS Energy,
the project “will have a relatively small footprint” (100 meters x 150 meters) and be connected to the grid via a substation. Fluence’s Gridstack chosen for Irish wind farm storage project Europe-focused renewable power investor, Greencoat Renewables, has chosen Fluence’s Gridstack system for its first investment in energy storage technologies, Fluence announced on February 21. The 10.8MW Gridstack lithium iron phosphate utility-scale system has been supplied to Greencoat for its Killala Community Wind Farm in County Mayo, Ireland. Fluence said that, once fully operational, the battery would help increase system stability in the Irish electricity grid as Greencoat — which is managed by Greencoat Capital — uses the system “to participate in energy flexibility markets”. The project is Fluence’s third involving batterybased energy storage co-located with wind farms in Ireland, and its 10th publicly announced venture in the Irish single electricity market. The Gridstack system is built on Fluence’s proprietary, sixthgeneration utility-scale technology, which the company said is designed “for the most demanding grid applications”, including frequency regulation, flexible peaking capacity and enhanced transmission and distribution services. Fluence’s MD for the UK, Ireland and Israel, Marek Kubik, said the Irish government had increased its target percentage of renewables in the national generation mix in 2030 from 70% to 80%.
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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS
Northvolt selects Germany for third gigafactory Swedish batteries developer Northvolt said on March 15 it had selected a site in northern Germany to build the company’s third gigafactory. The ‘Northvolt Drei’ plant in Heide, Schleswig-Holstein, will have an annual potential production capacity of 60GWh — increasing the company’s pipeline of battery manufacturing capacity under development to more than 170GWh. Investment costs for the new plant were not disclosed, but Northvolt claimed the facility would start producing high-performance, lithium ion batteries for the electric vehicles market in 2025, “with the lowest environmental footprint in continental Europe”. Northvolt said Schleswig-Holstein had been chosen because the region “hosts the cleanest energy grid in Germany… with a surplus of electricity generated by onshore and offshore wind power and reinforced by clean energy provided through grid interconnections to Denmark and Norway”. The new plant is also set to have an on-site battery recycling facility. Peter Carlsson, co-founder and CEO of Northvolt, said: “It matters how we produce a battery cell. If you use coal in your production, you embed a fair amount of CO2 into your battery, but if we use clean energy, we can build a very sustainable product.” Northvolt’s latest project follows its announcement on February 24 that it would convert a closed paper mill in Sweden to produce up to 100GWh of cathode material to support cell assembly at Northvolt’s facilities. Northvolt has signed a letter of intent to buy the Kvarnsveden Mill and surrounding industrial area in Borlänge, central Sweden, from Stora Enso — a Swedish manufacturer of products from wood and biomass. Financial details were not disclosed. Initial operations at Kvarnsveden, which will have an eventual potential annual production capacity of more than 100GWh of cathode material, should start in late 2024. Production at Kvarnsveden will support the assembly of battery cells at a number of Northvolt’s plants, including the Northvolt Ett gigafactory in Skellefteå, where the company announced last December it had produced its first lithium-ion cell. The mill, which was founded in 1900, produced pulp and paper for more than 120 years until Stora Enso announced its closure in April 2021, with the loss of more than 400 jobs. Northvolt said it planned to keep key managers from the Kvarnsveden site working to support a swift transfer of operations to the new activities. Co-founder and CEO of Northvolt, Peter Carlsson said: “Since Northvolt’s founding, we have focused on circular battery production, but this is the first time we will reuse an entire production site.” “With its access to energy, industrial water and the broad production knowhow in the region, Kvarnsveden is an optimal site for a gigafactory.” “There is a massive global demand for sustainable, highquality lithium-ion battery cells and systems,” Carlsson said. “With the blueprint developed at Northvolt Labs and Northvolt Ett, we will now put in another gear to scale up production even faster and larger than before.”
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PROFILE: BOB FLICKER
Celebrating a half century with East Penn
East Penn’s multiskilled, much-liked chief operating officer Bob Flicker is set to retire later this year. Little did a young Bob Flicker realise that a temporary job as a punch press operator at a small to medium sized battery manufacturer in Pennsylvania known as East Penn was to result in a spectacular career. Or later for him to become part of a core team that would catapult the company into the top tier of international battery firms. The year was 1972. And Bob, recently graduated with a degree in physics from Moravian College, and was looking to further his education. Only two short years before, he had married a young nurse called Deborah, who he’d first met at high school, and the first of his three children, Brett was already on the scene.
Little did a young Bob Flicker realise that a temporary job as a punch press operator at a small to medium sized battery manufacturer in Pennsylvania known as East Penn was to result in a spectacular career
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Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 51
PROFILE: BOB FLICKER
Bob receiving the International Lead Award for his services to the battery industry at 14ABC in 2011
“In those days East Penn had perhaps less than 300 employees but was growing all the time, it had already come a huge way from when DeLight Breidegam Jr and his father had set up the firm in 1946,” he recalls. “In the midst of this expansion, it wasn’t very long before I was working as a lab technician and becoming involved in the firm’s development of lead calcium
Dan Breidegam, chairman, East Penn
The lead battery world has been blessed with some very knowledgeable engineers. Of those, I have long thought Bob Flicker to be the brightest of them all. Of course, Bob has a great mind and understanding of technology, but my tributes are based on other things as well. Bob knows how to innovate. He had a real understanding of what works today may not be the best technology for the future. However, he always remembers that some old ideas and theories may be valid and a possible solution.
Bob is a great leader and mentor. He, like my dad and founder DeLight, enjoys giving young engineers a chance to grow and shine. He understands the value of bringing people to their highest level. He can adjust a complex concept so that it relates to his audience. He never talks over someone’s level of understanding. Bob is personable and humble. He could never write his own biography. What he has done for East Penn and the industry is inspiring. He is someone to emulate, but will not be duplicated.
Bob knows how to innovate. He had a real understanding of what works today may not be the best technology for the future. However, he always remembers that some old ideas and theories may be valid and a possible solution 52 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
batteries — then the cutting edge of batteries for stationary applications and where the drive was to move it into automotive applications in a sealable form to avoid adding water and improve the safety of the design.” East Penn was developing the engineering department and decided to help fund Bob’s tuition. He completed his masters in physics at Lehigh University in 1974. Times were challenging for Bob and Deborah during this period with juggling the demands of work, his academic studies and young family — that year his daughter, Amanda, was born. Their third child, Nicole, was to be born in 1979. Bob’s experimental and testing work was later to form part of the launch of East Penn’s “Kare-Free” line of calcium maintenance-free batteries. The line had so much potential that the company began making plans to build a second automotive plant for its production. East Penn too was already formulating its environmental position. To handle the wastewater created by battery manufacturing, East Penn also opened a treatment plant in 1977, that would eventually expand to be able to process over 100,000 gallons of wastewater each day. DeLight Jr early on had seen the way the battery industry needed to go. “People thought that waste was normal,” he said in a later interview. “Then in the 1960s, the environmental stuff started to come. Some people threw their hands up and said, ‘There’s no way.’ And I always said, ‘Well ... heck, we’re going to try’.” And East Penn did. In line with his ever-growing responsibilities, Bob had to ensure that everything from manufacturing to recycling not just conformed to stricter regulatory standards but exceeded them. East Penn was one of the few US battery manufacturers that saw early on the way the wind was blowing — regulations were not going to stay still but get ever tighter. To its environmental credit, in 1986 East Penn introduced a new system for scrubbing gases. It was the first of its kind in the US and six years later also became the first in the entire industry with its acid reclamation plant. Today, the firm continues to lead the with ambient lead in the air
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PROFILE: BOB FLICKER significantly lower than the US EPA levels. Over the years the company has received numerous awards and certifications for its environmental work — always a particular concern of Bob. These have ranged from receiving OSHA star status for its commitment to worker health and safety to the Cevallos Award by the Pennsylvania Institute for Children’s Environmental Health.
In 2020 the firm said its Lyon Station facility recycled 187 million pounds of lead, more than 8.5 million pounds of plastic, and 5.6 million pounds of acid. To gauge the growth of the firm during the 1970s, by 1976 it had around 700 employees. That same year East Penn produced more than a million batteries. It was a far cry from DeLight Sr’s ambition to be able to build 100 batteries in a day.
Dan Langdon, board of directors, East Penn
As COO, Bob oversaw not only manufacturing but also purchasing, R&D, logistics, injection molding and a secondary lead smelting operation. This was an extraordinary amount of responsibility. Bob is an outstanding and innovative leader in all of these disciplines. A true subservient leader, always reflecting the integrity and selfless vision of our founder DeLight and his family. One of the things I admire the most was Bob’s ability to relate, and connect, on a personal level
If the 1970s were exciting times for East Penn, the 1980s and 1990s were even more so and Bob’s rising star as a capable engineer and manager were on the ascendant too. From his beginnings as an engineering technician, he was later promoted to product engineer, director of engineering, chief engineer, and vice president of engineering. In the early 1980s, a new industrial batteries building was opened, along with a new maintenance building, to provide support services to all East Penn units. Later in the decade, a new 135,000-square-foot distribution center and adjacent technical center were opened. New corporate offices were opened in 1985. Three years later, with the help of a state loan, East Penn opened a new automotive plant more than 100,000 square feet in size. It soon would be expanded to accommodate the production of the new gel cell batteries. In many ways Bob’s job brief grew with the firm. Groundbreaking new battery technology led to expansive growth throughout the decade and into the next, quadrupling the company’s size. New manufacturing facilities were swiftly added to accommodate the growing business. Smart acquisitions delivered needed warehouse space and allowed the company to span new horizons. East Penn expanded on a number of fronts in the 1980s. Battery design became the province of CAD (computer aided design), making the drafting tables obsolete. Engineers also turned their attention to new
with everyone he met. Bob has the mutual respect of all his fellow employees as well as the many others he touched in the industry as well as the community. His enduring legacy will be the lasting friendships he has made during his 50-year journey of outstanding leadership. I am very fortunate to have had the honor to work closely with Bob for more than three decades and, more importantly, to enjoy the deep friendship between us.
His enduring legacy will be the lasting friendships he has made during his 50-year journey of outstanding leadership Advancement in the 1980s and 90s
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Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 53
PROFILE: BOB FLICKER battery technology in the 1980s, such as absorbed glass mat and gelled-electrolyte, non-spillable batteries, ideal for applications such as telecommunications. “The march of technology is the introduction of change and that means we all had to adapt to them,” he says. “In the 1970s and 1980s a new wave of machines for enveloping, COS, different additives and alloys changed, the way we worked was
different — but better.” In 1988, East Penn began distributing in Canada, and within two years had secured a substantial segment of that market. During the 1980s and into the 1990s Bob’s talent for understanding the issues that customers wanted from their batteries and how to solve them started to come to the fore. A classic example of this was when a prominent motorcycle manufacturer
Chris Pruitt CEO/President, East Penn
Bob guided us through many choppy waters over the years. He was truly a captain of this ship we call East Penn. Bob was never reluctant to make the hard decisions when we had difficult times. Along with his remarkable technical expertise, he also had enormous financial and business acumen, and played a vital role in utilizing these talents for the success of our organization. There are so many important lessons that I have learned from Bob over the last 28 years. There are a few of these lessons that really stand out for me and have helped make me a better leader. One in particular
was Bob’s very unique ability to understand the real issue at hand by taking a difficult topic, breaking it down, and coming to an effective and sensible solution from varying points of view. Bob was great at getting others’ opinions and input to resolve issues. He was patient, at the right times, and a really good listener, which enabled us to always come to a better conclusion. Bob made decisions that put the employees, customers, suppliers, and community first, and we are a better company for it. Simply put, Bob is a great leader and a great friend!
Bob was never reluctant to make the hard decisions when we had difficult times
54 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
had problems with motorcycle batteries that leaked, corroding the chrome on the bike. “We’ve known from the beginning that we have to be the solution provider, which means that we needed to know the extent of the problem, here it was the vibration that caused the spillage so we looked at ways of developing a non-spillable battery. “We’d already been working with more automotive sized AGM batteries, the issue was how to design a small version that would suit the manufacturer’s need.” East Penn automotive engineering team developed a non-spillable battery. Its use expanded to more motorcycle brands, ATVs, motorized watercraft, and ultimately cars — as a stop/start backup battery. Dan Langdon, former president of East Penn Manufacturing, paid him tribute later. “When it comes to engineering and design in the battery world, he’s the man.” By the start of the 1990s East Penn was doing about $200 million in annual sales and each day its 2,000 employees produced about 20,000 car batteries and 1,400 industrial cells. By 1992 the company was producing five million batteries a year. East Penn continued to stay in the forefront of battery technology with Bob now becoming a driving force in the launch of new brands and products, In 1990 East Penn introduced the Deka Dominator, a highly popular gel battery used in wheelchairs, golf carts, and marine and other applications. Two years later, the company introduced solar batteries, which became the foundation for the stationary battery division. These new batteries, providing emergency standby power, were suited to wind generation units, water pumping systems, and remote monitoring systems. A year later East Penn launched a line of stationary batteries for standby power applications such as telecommunications and UPS. Later in the 1990s stationary batteries were developed for the cable TV market. In 1995 East Penn opened a new 350,000-square-foot specialty battery plant to produce stationary and other batteries. In 1992 Bob became executive vice president of engineering and manufacturing. For the next few years Bob recalls a regular work pattern emerged.
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PROFILE: BOB FLICKER “Several times a week DeLight, Dan [Langdon], Sally (Miksiewicz) and I would each take turns visiting various parts of the plant,” he says. “It was a great way to get to know the people who we were working with — a real pleasure — but it was also a good way to help us understand some of the difficulties that people were having to overcome. We’d all sit down for lunch together in the canteen and talk out what we learned from our visits. “In many ways I felt that DeLight and I both grew up with similar
experiences and had similar backgrounds; therefore we shared very similar values. We both believed that employees are the key to success and that you have to get to know them, have mutual respect and make yourself visible and available.” DeLight would never credit himself as being the sole instigator of the success the company he cofounded has enjoyed. “We probably wouldn’t be a model for the Harvard Business School,” he once joked. In this respect East Penn has an extraordinary record as a company
“We are all fully grateful and privileged to have been able to serve with the one who could be only characterized as a living industry legend during his esteemed battery career over a remarkable 50 years” BALANCING COMPETING TECHNOLOGIES: MIXING BOTHE THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE
And the future? Perhaps unsurprisingly Bob is not just an optimist on the way forward for battery manufacturing but enthusiastic. On the lead side of the business he has been a keen supporter of the ALABC [Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium] from its earliest days through to its present incarnation as the CBI (Consortium for Battery Innovation). “It’s absolutely vital that we continue to push out the capabilities of lead batteries, cycle life, DCA, performance…the lot.” Bob says East Penn has been at the forefront of researching potential progress in all possible forms of lead battery. Two areas of particular interest are the development of bipolar batteries
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and carbon fiber electrodes. Research into bipolar batteries has been going on since the early 2000s. Bob and chief technology officer Norbert Maleschitz are looking at the practicalities of adding bipolar technology to the product line. In 2018 East Penn partnered with ArcActive, a developer of carbon fiber electrodes which has the potential to solve the issue of improving dynamic charge acceptance without the related problems such as water loss. Over the past few years East Penn has been working with a variety of partners — RSR Technologies, the US national Argonne Laboratory, Hammond and the CBI — exploring the further capabilities of the battery. For a man raised in the lead battery business, many would be surprised that Bob is also so very enthusiastic about the lithium side of East Penn’s work. “I’m really excited with the work we’re doing with Navitas Systems,” he says. East Penn took a majority stake in the specialty lithium manufacturer Navitas Systems in August 2019. East Penn is now a full owner of their growing operations. “We see a world of possibilities in various market niches,” he says. “We’re looking at many types of applications now and further ways of improving energy density.”
that is consistently rated one of the best in Pennsylvania to work for and frequently appears in Forbes’ annual list of the best 500 large manufacturers in the country. “It’s a family business,” says Bob. “And it operates as if everyone was in the family.” One of the oddest situations Bob and the senior management had to face was in the winter of 1996. A meter of snow caused the roof of the distribution centre to collapse. This ruptured a gas line and a massive fire ensued. The result was a fire at the plant that lasted for days. This resulted in a nightmare month for the East Penn team as they scrambled to get everything up and running. The company quickly rented an area warehouse and managed to cobble together orders, helped to some degree by competitors supplying product — a quite unusual situation showing the high regard in which the firm’s commitment to the industry was held. In less than two months East Penn was able to resume normal operations. As a result of the company’s strategic succession planning for operations and technology, Larry Miksiewicz became East Penn’s SVP of manufacturing and purchasing in 2015, and the company’s chief manufacturing officer in 2021. Norbert Maleschitz joined the company in 2018 as the SVP of technology and innovation, and was promoted to chief technology officer in 2021. Chief financial officer, Christy Weeber, and CEO/ president Chris Pruitt also work on the company’s senior management level team upon Bob’s retirement this March. “We are all fully grateful and privileged to have been able to serve with the one who could be only characterized as a living industry legend during his esteemed battery career over a remarkable 50 years,” said a company statement. “Bob continues to serve on the company’s board with every confidence in those who are following in his footsteps.”
Bob continues to serve on the company’s board with every confidence in those who are following in his footsteps Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 55
ANALYSIS: WOOD MACKENZIE The US in no longer capable of recycling all its own domestic spent lead batteries. Yet battery manufacturers continue to get by with an international juggling act balancing supply and demand, writes Farid Ahmed, lead analyst for Wood Mackenzie.
The US lead industry — just about fit for purpose The US is a major user of lead. Until overtaken by China in 2005, it had been the world’s leading consumer for as long as accurate data has been kept. What might come as a surprise is that US consumption has only increased by under 1% a year over the past 30 years. Compare that to China’s average of over 10% a year and India’s 9% over the same period. Over the coming 20 years, US lead demand is essentially flat and India will overtake it before the end of this decade. But at an average of 1.6 million tonnes per year, American consumption remains significant for decades to come. The US was the world’s largest lead producer until surpassed by China around 20 years ago. It will now drop to third place behind India in just a few years. Since 1990,
US smelting capacity has fallen dramatically. It no longer has any primary smelting capability following closure of the Herculaneum plant in 2013. This is despite annual production of over 250kt per year of lead in concentrates coming out of US mines. Three other primary smelters have closed since 1990 — Boss, Omaha and Glover. This has collectively removed well over a third of a million tonnes of refined lead output from US production. The permanent shuttering of US secondary smelters such as Frisco, Vernon and, in March 2021, Florence added another quarter of a million tonnes to this figure. In all, the cumulative drop in total US lead smelting capacity has been well over half a million tonnes in this period.
The US has to export scrap because it can’t cope with the volume. That’s not the message the lead industry wants to hear as it campaigns to staunch the outflow of scrap
US supply-demand deficit To understand the consequences of this reduced capability, one needs to examine how this stacks up against US demand for refined lead. The first chart shows the answer is: “not very well”. The US is deficient in production by one-third of its requirement and that situation will get worse with the loss of the Florence secondary plant. The considerable supply-demand gap necessitates huge imports of lead into the US. These come primarily from Canada, Mexico and Korea, but also India, Kazakhstan, Australia, Russia, Peru and others. US imports have increased from a 225kt annual average in the 1990s to over half a million tonnes per year since Herculaneum shut in 2013. Our forecasts for future lead demand and remaining US smelter capacity confirm this deficit will remain at, or above, that level unless production expands.
Farid Ahmed, lead analyst for Wood Mackenzie
CHART 1 above (smelter closes) Chart 1: US closes its last primary smelters; lost output over half a million tonnes as more secondaries shut
56 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
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ANALYSIS: WOOD MACKENZIE CHART 1 above (smelter closes)
CHART 2 Chart 2: Supply-demand gap needs more imported lead in future without smelter capacity expansion
Nearly 90% of US lead consumption is for making batteries and close to 100% of these are recycled. A good proportion of the remaining non-battery lead uses are also recyclable. Why is it that, although demand is basically flat, the US still needs to import about one-third of its refined lead? Isn’t over 90% of its consumption recyclable? The answer is “yes” — the vast majority of lead consumed in the US is recycled. But, crucially, it is not necessarily recycled in the US. Lead losses from the US supply chain When we talk about ‘lead consumption’, it means where the lead is made into a product such as a battery, radiation shielding bricks, lead sheet or ammunition. It’s not where that product is subsequently used. Thus, if refined lead is made into a battery in the US, and that battery is installed in a new vehicle in a Canadian car plant, and that vehicle is then exported to Europe, the consumption of that lead occurs in the US — not in Canada, not in Europe. However, at the end of its life, that battery will be scrapped and recycled at a European smelter. It will probably then be manufactured back into a new battery at a European battery maker. The US supply chain will have lost the lead content of that car battery. The US is a powerhouse of vehicle production. But, on average over the past decade, exports account for 3.3 million units of the typical 10 million annual output. Most of these would be factory-fitted with an Americanmade battery. So, again, that’s lead
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consumed in the US, but then lost from the US supply chain through vehicle exports. Added to that are annual exports of some 15 million automotive batteries not fitted in a vehicle. America is also a leading producer of industrial batteries for motive power, standby power and energy storage. The recognized quality of these products generates a high level of export demand which, again, means the US supply chain loses lead. The US actually imports more finished batteries than it exports. Shipping containers full of lead batteries arrive every day at US ports from China, Korea and Vietnam or across the border from Mexico. The majority of these are automotive replacement batteries. Increasingly now, these also include batteries to be white-labelled as the product of a US brand. It is quite common for ‘big brand’ battery makers in North America and Europe to buy in third party batteries from low-cost foreign producers when it is uneconomical for them to manufacture these low-volume or low-margin battery types themselves. Scrap battery exports Where America is haemorrhaging lead from its domestic market is in scrap
batteries. As US refined lead output now comes entirely from recycling, the secondary industry relies on scrap batteries for the overwhelming majority of its raw materials. The net trade in scrap deprives American smelters of their principal feedstock with used lead batteries leaving the country in large volumes. The apparent loss of secondary raw material shown in the official trade numbers almost certainly falls a good way short of the reality. There are gaping inconsistencies between volumes reported as US exports under recognized HS codes for scrap lead batteries and the mirrored volumes reported by recipient countries as US imports. The truth is that the two sets of numbers purporting to be the same thing can’t both be right, but they can both be wrong. A US lead industry campaign is gathering momentum to stem this loss. It urges US authorities to block exports of this hazardous waste to destinations where safe recycling matching US standards cannot be assured. The campaigners also point out that when exporters are active in the US market, buying used batteries to ship to Asia, the price of scrap will typically increase by 5%-10%, especially in regions nearer to the Eastern and Western Seaboards. That hits margins at American smelters. Campaigners argue that not only is the US losing control over the safe recycling of a hazardous waste by exporting to countries with lower environmental and safety standards, but also that this increases the price and decreases the availability of this essential raw material to its domestic industry. This, in turn, harms the competitiveness of the US lead and battery industries domestically against imports, and internationally in a competitive global marketplace. What if America didn’t export scrap batteries? Wouldn’t it be much better if the US could keep all its scrap batteries, instead of them disappearing across the border to Mexico, or being stuffed into containers destined for Korea or India?
A US lead industry campaign is gathering momentum to stem this loss. It urges US authorities to block exports of this hazardous waste to destinations where safe recycling matching US standards cannot be assured Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 57
ANALYSIS: WOOD MACKENZIE
Chart 3: US recycling capacity can’t cope without exporting scrap batteries. Source: Wood Mackenzie
Chart 3 CAPACITY EXPANSION — CONFIDENCE, COSTS AND CONTROLS Increasing capacity to match this average shortfall of 275kt per year over the next decade is not an easy route. Obtaining permits to expand an existing plant will likely meet with objections and obstructions at every step. Building a brand-new smelter will face even more hostility than when it was last achieved with the Florence smelter a decade ago. Media campaigns can readily harness and manipulate the public mood and turn it against the lead industry. Do lead smelters want to build more capacity following the net loss of recent decades? Putting the difficulties in building a new smelter to one side, do US lead producers have the appetite and financial incentive to build new capacity with a flat demand outlook and obstacles to operating plants? Confidence to build new capacity will only come if there are controls in place to curtail the current level of exports. Otherwise, adding capacity will simply tighten the scrap market and drive prices higher. Export demand from foreign smelters will not go away without legislation to significantly reduce the outflow of scrap. If all of this just serves to increase the price of making American batteries, what’s to stop US battery producers from importing more units to white-label and carmakers buying more foreign batteries to fit as original equipment? The US lead and battery business wants to become more self-sufficient over this strategic resource to better control prices, improve competitiveness and improve the environmental performance of lead recycling at a global level. This will only be achieved by finding some way to increase its ability to recycle lead together with export controls on scrap. It will also need to consider alternatives to the traditional pyrometallurgical route. Some promising new technologies now in development use electrochemical processes to virtually eliminate emissions from the smelting process, leaving just the much lower emissions from refining. This should make permitting and licensing much easier. It’s in the global lead industry’s self-interest to bring these processes from the laboratory to full commercial scale as quickly as possible. In the meantime, it must continue striving to minimize emissions from traditional smelting, improving process technologies and investing in better controls. Until then, the US industry is stuck with the shortfall in its smelting capacity — and all the problems that brings.
58 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
US lead recyclers would then have an abundant supply of raw material to drive scrap prices lower, thereby improving operating margins and profitability. We know that America’s demand for refined lead can’t be fully satisfied by current US lead smelting capacity. But the stark reality is that it is also insufficient to process all the available used batteries if none were lost from its domestic market. In other words, the US has to export scrap because it can’t cope with the volume. That’s not the message the lead industry wants to hear as it campaigns to staunch the outflow of scrap. Expensive imports of refined lead must then replace that loss of precious metal from the domestic market. We forecast an average shortfall of 275kt per year over the next decade between the volume of batteries potentially available to US recyclers and their capacity to process it. One solution to this problem is to just accept the US is going to lose a significant amount of raw material, pushing up prices and squeezing margins.
Why is it that, although demand is basically flat, the US still needs to import about one-third of its refined lead? Isn’t over 90% of its consumption recyclable? www.batteriesinternational.com
COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
A new universe of lead beckons O
ne of the most talked about features of recent BCI meetings has been the Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Innovation Award. This was set up in 2016, as a tribute to East Penn’s CEO following her untimely death in June 2014. The award celebrates innovation in equipment, processes, services and products that advance the lead battery industry. The range of innovations set up as candidates for the award has been startling. Some have been as simple as a better design shape for a marine battery; others have embraced the latest technological advances in our understanding of the lead battery. Some of the nominations have been breakthroughs in the laboratory but struggled to be commercialized. And yet others — think of advances in EFBs —
have been quickly embraced as a new standard in an emerging marketplace that continues to grow exponentially. But be they large or small, these innovations matter. For the last decade a tonne of investment has been flung at developing better lithium batteries while lead research has been side-lined. The revamp of the ALABC and its replacement by the Consortium for Battery Innovation is putting the lead battery back in the spotlight. Clear advances are on their way and credit must go to CBI for pulling it all together. That said credit must also go to a generation of lead researchers that have remained in the background — think RSR, Hammond, East Penn, Daramic and many others — that continue to shape the lead battery industry.
“Innovation is the thing that gives you the opportunity. It’s the promise of our future.” Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
The bipolar battery Winner —2022 — Advanced Battery Concepts
Advanced Battery Concepts matched the strength of the bipolar battery it has developed with the need for emergency energy storage for households.
A
dvanced Battery Concepts has pioneered the development of a bipolar battery — commercialization of which had not been achieved since the bipolar battery was invented in the 1930s. Now, complete with a new
60 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
filling technology, the firm has found a good use for its storage system for emergency back up in the home. The ABC Home Emergency Energy Storage system relies on a foundation of critical technology built into the
GreenSeal bipolar battery bank which holds the 18kWh of energy available to be delivered at up to 6.8kW continuous power for home energy supply in the absence of stable continuous grid power. “Patent pending technology provides for easy integration of additional storage enclosures yielding up to 36kWh of total energy available. Licensees of GreenSeal technology now have access to a commercialized set of technologies that are demonstrating their reliability and performance in the high value emergency power market,” says the firm. “Of note, is the newest ABC proprietary technology known as “RapidFill” and “RapidForm”. This is the first VRLA battery filling and formation process executed with acid flowing continuously through all cells in the battery from the start of formation to the end of it,” says the firm. RapidFill results in a complete fill and saturation of all cells in the bipolar stack, regardless of the operating voltage of the monoblock, simultaneously and in under 60 seconds. Multiple 48V batteries are filled and ready for formation in less than one minute. From there, formation can start immediately on the entire group of batteries at the same time, as acid begins flowing throughout each of the battery cells for the entire duration of formation. Flowing acid allows for constant specific gravity acid during the entirety of the formation process as well as maintaining constant precise temperature of the battery during the formation execution regardless of the ambient temperature. All this is done without the use of water baths or other forms of active cooling of the battery “This is a true innovation for the lead battery industry moving continually away from flooded batteries requiring maintenance and toward
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
moves into the home maintenance-free VRLA batteries with the highest performance and lowest cost,” says the firm. “This innovation is facilitated by the unique GreenSeal bipolar lead battery architecture invented and perfected by Advanced Battery Concepts. “Integrating such unique and proprietary battery advances into a commercial product for home energy delivery is a true giant step forward for the industry. “GreenSeal bipolar battery continues to represent best in class technology, lowest cost structure, best lifetime value and best battery performance within the lead battery industry. The HEES system is attractive and functional in addition to providing seamless power transition in the event of a grid power disruption. Taking up minimal floorspace and fitting in almost any available area in the home, the HEES system can be placed in the garage, attic, basement, utility room or even in a living space. Expanding on the HEES initial product capability, a daily cycling system is staged for commercialization in later 2022. This daily cycling system is built on a scientific and engineering platform of first principles resulting in GreenSeal bipolar battery design rules created and validated by ABC. Those design rules govern the performance of the GreenSeal system under controlled cycling regimes predicting cycling lifetimes with astonishing accuracy. ABC has internally developed the Home Emergency Energy Storage System from the ground up to integrate itself with the strength of the GreenSeal battery.
Electrical System Specifications
MASTERS OF INVENTION Edward Shaffer II Edward Shaffer II is CEO and Founder of Advanced Battery Concepts. He has spent the past 14 years focused on developing technologies to accelerate adoption of much needed alternative energy systems. In 2009, he established ABC to commercialize ground-breaking, large-format, rechargeable battery technology termed “GreenSeal”. Throughout his career, he has worked across a variety of advanced dielectrics for electronics, optical materials for displays, materials for energy storage and photovoltaics. He has held a variety of roles including new business development, global R&D manager and research scientist. He received his PhD in Materials Science from MIT.
Jon Joslin Jon Joslin has 30 years of experience in all aspects of financial management and business consulting. He has broad experience working for both an accounting firm and both small and large companies in a number of industries, from construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail. In addition, he has started and run a number of companies. He has also served in his local government as a past mayor for the City of Mt Pleasant and a 15 year city commissioner.
Michael Everett Michael Everett brings over 30 years of experience in a variety of technology-based industries, most recently the senior. vice president of engineering for Trojan battery Company. His previous positions include CTO of Maxwell Technologies and senior director of engineering and research at 3D Systems Inc. While working with Trojan Battery, he was responsible for overseeing Trojan’s product development and research activities including all technical intellectual property innovation.
Standard + 1
Battery Series Number of 48V Battery Units per battery box Usable Energy (kWh)
Standard + 2 GS4830-1M
12
18
24
17.3
25.8
34.5
Rated AC Power (kW)
6.8
Max. Continuous DC Current (Charge or Discharge, A)
180
Nominal Battery Bank Voltage (V)
48
DC Discharge Round Trip Efficiency
>88%
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Standard + 3
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 61
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Abertax, the Maltese specialist battery product developer, has come up with a new filling process for gel batteries that promises improvements in battery quality, an environmentally sensitive process and requires low investment.
A better gel formation process A
bertax’s innovation award submission is based on a new patented gel circulation process that does away with standard filling processes for gel batteries. The firm says it needs less investment in machinery, reduced production time and labour cost. It is an environmentally friendly process — there is no acid wastage and much better quality/performance of such manufactured batteries. From the results so far, it seems that this system will be adopted as the standard by major gel battery manufacturers “As soon as KD Merz the inventor, came up with this brilliant idea, Abertax, being a company encouraging such type of innovation, and environmentally conscious, supported his idea,” says a company spokesperson. “We immediately completed an agreement with a third party company to build and install such systems to undergo field tests at a battery company, while applying for patent protection.” Below follows a description of the traditional ways of gel filling with the Abertax method. Direct gel filling (formed batteries). The oldest method to fill lead acid batteries with gel is the filling of the silica/acid mixture into the batteries or cells having already formed plates. The gel is pre-prepared by a homogenous mixing of fumed silica (SiO2) with sulfuric acid having a silica concentration of around 6% and filled by a vacuum filling machine. With suitable machines and equipment, a good and uniform gel filling can be achieved. However, there is always a risk, and in particular at higher temperatures, that the gel is jellifying quite fast inside the cells and can inhibit a complete, homogeneous and consistent coverage of the electrodes.
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Such dry areas on the positive and/ or negative plates results in a loss of capacity and can cause premature failure. Gel formation process A low cost process is direct gel formation. After filling the gel into unformed cells or batteries a formation program is started. It sounds easy with no high investment in equipment, but the formation time is quite protracted — seven days or longer and needs a number of different charge and discharge steps. Beside the very long formation time, the quality and performance of the finished product is not very good and this is one of the most expensive processes. Two shot gel filling process The batteries are formed with sulfuric acid. After formation the batteries are discharged to a level of 80% to 90%. The batteries are then turned upside down to drain the remaining low density acid from the battery. Shortly after the drainage, the batteries are filled with a prepared silica/acid mixture in the same acid density as the drained acid. Afterwards, the batteries need to be recharged. This method of gel filling is the mostly used technology today, however, it has several disadvantages, such as: • If the waiting period after drainage of the acid and gel filling takes too long, the electrodes, in particular the negative plates can dry out and may cause filling problems. • Another negative point is to achieve a good homogenous gel distribution inside the cells. • In particular in block batteries where the lid design causes acid to accumulate when the battery is turned upside down to drain the acid.
The Abertax gel circulation process This new method introduced in the gel technology production of VRLA batteries follows the two shot gel filling process up to the formation step. The idea is to transform the liquid inside the cells into gel without the draining process. This is done by a novel circulation process which circulates the liquid in the formed cells while adding the silica in the process in a gradual way until the perfect gel mixture is achieved in the cells. After the formation, the cells are simply connected to the proposed gel circulation system and the controlled process is initiated until the right
KD MERZ
KD Merz is the vice-president for technology at Abertax Technologies and is also a council member, where, in parallel, he is also involved in research and development work on VRLA Battery improvements.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
acid/silica concentration is reached. The first step is the preparation of the gel/acid mixture in the mixing tank. The acid specific gravity and the silica content of this mixture depends on the conditions of the cells after the formation followed by an electrical discharge process to lower the acid specific gravity. The specific gravity of the acid in the mixing tank is set to be the same level as the acid specific gravity in the discharged formed cells. The silica content is calculated based on the electrolyte exchange volume and the required (final) silica content in the cells. After the gel/acid tank mixture is completed (homogeneity can be tested with the syringe test), this thixotropic dispersion is ready for the circulation filling process. The formed and discharged cells are connected to the gel circulation unit and the gel circulation is started by activating the pump in the mixing unit. The process will stop when the silica mixture in the tank and cells ends up to be 12%. The time of the whole circulation process depends on the overall volume of the acid which needs to be replaced in the cells. In an example of 150 litres it will take about 38 minutes. Right after the completion of gel circulation, the cells/batteries are disconnected from the unit and prepared for a recharge. The charging regime should be of a regulated IU or IUI regime with a voltage limit during the U phase of 2.45 vpc. From the numerous and regular quality checks done over the production lines in the past two years, it is evident that apart from an economic and cost efficient gel filling process, much better quality cells are produced using the Abertax gel mixing process.
Gel mixing and circulation system — actual installation
Gel filling processes (comparison)
Gel filling processes: investment and efficiency
ADVANTAGES Apart from offering excellent good performance and quality results, this new, patent-protected and innovative process for the filling of gel batteries, offers several remarkable advantages both financially and environmentally. The avoidance of draining the cells in the commonly used two shot process has itself a huge impact. This offers a huge reduction in
64 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
time on the overall process, no acid dumping with its risks and consequences, much less labour intensive, avoid exposure of the plates to air, and above all the elimination of possible air pockets while filling. The battery lifetime is optimized hence reducing the recycling frequency and its related
environmental impact and ensuring that guarantee claims due to filling problems is eliminated. When considering a new gel filling system the capital investment using this method is cheaper and occupies less space when compared to the other methods especially the two-shot method as no drainage equipment and vacuum system are required.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Daramic has featured in the innovation awards since their inception in 2016 and has always been a strong contender to gain top ranking. This year it presents HD plus, another step change in separator performance.
The battle for the yet better separators D
aramic has a long history as a pioneer in the advancement of battery separators. So in one respect it’s perhaps fitting that the inventor of the polyethylene battery separator should unveil the next way forward
in battery separator design and capabilities. The product known HD Plus is a step change in the development of deep cycle batteries and is an advancement of an early product, simply called Daramic HD.
Daramic HD Plus at least doubles cycle life
HD Plus gives more than 100 additional cycles compared to PE rubber/latex separators HD Plus also gives >17 Ah additional capacity
HD Plus gives longer life and more capacity than PE Hybrid separators
66 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
One of the technological problems associated with the lead-acid battery is the self-discharge of the negative plate as a result of the deposition of antimony on to the sponge lead electrode, a process known as antimony poisoning. This results in gassing and water loss and eventually a shorter battery life. Antimony, however, is a useful additive for lead batteries in that it can increase conductivity of the grid enabling deeper and better cycling. Daramic points to five features that the new HD Plus separator provides. These are: • Improved polyethylene formulation suppresses the effects of antimony poisoning, yielding longer life • New formulation provides lower internal resistance, improving charge acceptance and increasing capacity • Sealable for both envelope or sleeve automation provides protection from short circuits and higher manufacturing yields • High oxidation resistance • Optional glass mat for active material retention The key benefits of HD Plus, according to Dawn Heng, vice president and managing director for global marketing and Northeast Asia, is that firstly, it exceeds battery life requirements by counteracting the negative effects of antimony poisoning including superior oxidation resistance and reduced water loss. And secondly, on average, HD Plus increases capacity by 9%13% versus standard separators, resulting in increased back-up time for users. Daramic has always been a regular and strong contender in the BCI innovation awards. In 2019, Daramic and Huff Technologies developed a way of
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better simulating how batteries perform in the real world by simulating how they move around during everyday use. For this it received a distinguished mention. The product was the Daramic Shuttle Table which was designed to mimic real world scenarios during testing. It was developed because the companies acknowledged that in all types of environments, vehicles and the lead acid batteries they use are constantly moving. The system allows for a direct comparison between batteries based on different working patterns and battery environments. It will enable the testing and validation of a variety of passive acid mixing devices, the company said, as well as many standard industry tests performed while the batteries are in motion. This includes the testing of tall motive power and deep cycle batteries, while providing a safer battery testing environment. In 2018 the firm showcased its latest product using Carbon Coated Separator Technology. Developed to support operations in partial state of charge, utilizing the separator as a carbon carrier, dynamic charge acceptance is improved. It does this by reducing sulfation crystal growth, delivering a more active surface area on the plates for improved conductance of the electrode. In 2017, using advanced computational fluid dynamics, Daramic developed two new separator solutions — Daramic EFS and Daramic RipTide. Daramic EFS is specifically designed to support startstop vehicle batteries by reducing the battery’s internal resistance and improving voltage drop and CCA. Daramic RipTide combines the latest innovations of Daramic with novel separator profile designs using advanced computational fluid dynamics computer modelling to enhance EFB durability by reducing acid stratification in a partial state of charge environment, which is more typical in start-stop applications. Daramic’s first entry to the BCI Innovation Awards in 2016 was for a product innovation invented three years ago with research continuing on further refinements. Called DuraLife, this helps protect and maintain the quality and performance in battery designs that use less lead content — a technique that many battery producers have adopted as a way of reducing the overall cost of their products.
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Attribute
Typical value*
Rubber
HD Plus™
Backweb thickness (mm)
0.400
0.300
Electrical resistance (mΩ-cm2)
450
165
Porosity (%)
38
55
CMD elongation (%)
78
200
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
*Daramic Internal Testing
The key benefits of HD Plus are that firstly, it exceeds battery life requirements by counteracting the negative effects of antimony poisoning including superior oxidation resistance and reduced water loss. And secondly, on average, HD Plus increases capacity by 9%-13% versus standard separators, resulting in increased back-up time for users. — Dawn Heng, Daramic WHY DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES MATTER In North America, the lead acid battery industry delivers around 20 million deep cycle batteries, annually, they are used in a variety of applications and golf carts, floor scrubbers and general utility vehicles rely on lead acid batteries to deliver higher capacities for extended life on the golf course, the showroom floor and out in the field, Alternative battery technologies, especially lithium ion are pushing the boundaries regarding what is expected of deep cycle battery performance. As a result, lead acid batteries are facing unprecedented challenges in deep cycle markets. to close the gap on cycle life capacity and operations
and partial state of charge users of lead acid. The Daramic HD Plus separator will be yet another tool challenging the in-roads of lithium into traditional lead markets. Deep cycle batteries are pushing for longer battery life that far exceeds the warranty periods offered today. Lowering warranty return rates through a more robust battery design allows battery manufacturers to increase cost savings while meeting these shifting market needs. In addition to longer battery life extended run times are also becoming a priority to meet this need users need higher capacity lead asset batteries to power these deep cycle vehicles.
Lead acid batteries are facing unprecedented challenges in deep cycle markets to close the gap on cycle life capacity and operations and partial state of charge users of lead acid. The Daramic HD Plus separator will be yet another tool challenging the inroads of lithium into traditional lead markets.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Hollingsworth & Vose has nominated PowerFill for the innovation which it says is an improved and faster acid fill that can include a 12% increase in battery capacity and cycle life.
Better acid filling, better battery performance O
ne challenge many customers encounter during AGM battery assembly is the slow and uneven filling of acid electrolyte. Slow filling reduces the battery assembly speed while uneven acid distribution in the AGM separator and plates potentially cause dry spots and black spots on the plates during battery formation. Furthermore, uneven acid distribution can degrade battery performance. A key factor affecting the acid filling speed is the gas pocket trapped toward the center of the plates and AGM separator. The gaseous species in the pocket is air and possibly CO2 generated by the reaction of the acid with carbonate species in the plates. The gaseous species have the tendency to hinder the flow of the acid into the center area, unless removed from the battery.
A key factor affecting the acid filling speed is the gas pocket trapped toward the center of the plates and AGM separator
H&V has recently developed PowerFill AGM to solve these challenges by enhancing the surface of the separator to create open channels. With the open channels on the PowerFill AGM separator, the gaseous species in the pocket can escape more easily from the battery during the acid filling process, thereby allowing acid to flow quickly and evenly into the center of the plates/AGM. The PowerFill patented technology can be applied to various types of AGM, and the resultant separators still retain the same strength and compression retention behaviour of the base AGM. PowerFill has demonstrated it can increase production throughput and battery performance for a wide-range of applications. “H&V is a global leader in filtration and energy storage solutions. Our
advanced materials are used in nearly every industry and touch every aspect of modern life. Wherever you work, live or travel, chances are an H&V solution is close by, contributing to a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable world,” says the firm. “H&V is the lead battery industry’s only vertically integrated Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) producer.”
H&V has recently developed PowerFill AGM to solve these challenges by enhancing the surface of the separator to create open channels.
POWERFILL — ADDS VALUE TO BATTERY PRODUCERS AND END-USERS IN THREE WAYS.
First, it increases battery assembly speed and throughput. PowerFill has demonstrated electrolyte acid filling time can be reduced over 50% allowing battery producers to reduce cost.
Second, PowerFill improves the quality of lead batteries since acid filling is uniform across the AGM separator and plate/electrode. Better batteries means improved battery assembly yield. Finally, PowerFill has demonstrated battery performance improvements to include 12% increase in battery capacity and cycle life.
ZHIPING JIANG Zhiping Jiang holds a PhD in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1990) and MBA from University of Massachusetts at Lowell (2005). He began his industrial career in 1992 after a two-year’s post-doctoral study at Materials Processing Center/Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Over the years, he has worked on product and technology development in various areas including batteries, battery materials and separators. In 2012 he joined Hollingsworth & Vose Company as the chief scientist in the Battery Division. He has been awarded with 32 US patents, and received R&D Magazine’s Year 2000 R&D 100 Award for technology innovation.
68 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
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N O AW M IN AR EE D 20 22
COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
This year Meszaros Tamas submitted an entry suggesting that a radical new grid design using ultrafine fibres could dramatically improve battery performance.
Breaking through the 100Wh/kg power barrier A
n unusual entry from retired Hungarian academic Meszaros Tamas looked at what he named Uff (ultrafine fibre) technology tied with a manufacturing process he called the Blewin System — the intellectual property of both of which are his. The Uff solution keeps the geometry of the grids unchanged with the already known in-plane arrangement, but in the third dimension it transforms the now-usual convex quadrilateral and the already improved triangle cross-sections into concave polygons.
Figures 1 and 2 above: note the extended electrochemical active surface ratio and there is a 40% raw material saving in lead, there is also lower internal resistance allowing for more rapid charging Research on these grids — which had even achieved a specific power of around 80Wh/kg at the turn of the 21st century — was halted. At this level r, the system resulted in 30% lead savings / batteries, as well as a reduction in internal resistance that reduced the previous charging time to less than a third, eliminating unnecessary heating and acid vapor emissions.
70 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
“Optimized current paths and extremely low internal resistance have made it suitable for handling extreme power fluctuations and much more, making the four variants capable of performing virtually any energy storage task for a quarter of the price of a Li-base of the same power (capacity),” says Tamas. The internal elasticity of the Blewin system is important because it can accommodate parameters that are not uniform but fit in an internal structure.
Figure 3 above illustrates the size and design of the smallest (moped) battery grid and the magnified detail of the microporous surface waiting for the paste. “The grid manufacturing system is capable of producing any shape that is suitable for an acid lead-acid battery grid and produces better results than current products,” Tamas says. “It can be seen that the grid is still built of ubiquitous convex cross-section elements, so the ratio of the electrochemical surface area to the fiber cross-section (mass) is still not optimal. The cross-sections in figures 1 and 2 improve the crosssection-to-surface area ratio by more than 25%. The effect of this can be demonstrated by mathematical modelling, any solution will bring the value of the specific power above the value of 100Wh/kg (102~105). Mathematical modelling also offers additional curiosities, as the use of grids with such a cross-section results in a lead saving of over 40% (with the same performance), e.g. it results in a weight loss of over 4kg for a normal (60Ah) starter battery, which costs ~ $8 in lead. The extremely high electrochemically active surface results in extreme load-bearing capacity and a significantly shorter charge (also) with a higher current. This presupposes, for example, an outstanding recuperation capacity for urban cycle vehicles and the ability to withstand extreme current changes in wind turbines, says Tamas. The material of the grids is pure lead, but it can be hardened with an alloy that does not cause internal damage (Na), any Ca alloy should be avoided due to its tendency to form gypsum. The production of Uff solution grids requires the transformation of a previous machine system operating on a similar principle, primarily by entrusting process control to more precise artificial intelligence and transforming it into an automated process, he says.
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N O AW M IN AR EE D 20 22
COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Michigan-based manufacturing technology developer Vivet has designed a novel manufacturing process that it says can be applied to a number of industries, including for the production of lead acid batteries.
Where repetition leads: costs decrease, profits rise V
ivet co-founder and director of R&D, Amjad Hashem, is leading R&D engineering efforts to find, develop, and build unique projects that aim to disrupt manufacturing industries. In its innovation award submission, Vivet says its ‘Repeating Layer Process’ (RLP) manufacturing system reduces costs as equipment is scaled up. RLP is suitable for products that have a multiple of sub-components or operations, which repeat for a defined number. The system design is scalable, enabling companies to add more machines to expand production at any time, while keeping downtime to a minimum and with no changes to the existing equipment being used. In a case study prepared by Vivet, the company shows the build of a single system to build a battery module. The system is later scaled to seven times the initial capacity for four times the initial cost. According to the study, the first build of the assembly system could produce more than 40 battery modules an hour and a total of 205,000 in the course of a year. This is for an initial estimated investment of $1.5 million. The second layer would increase the capacity by 1.9x (390,000 modules a year) for a total of 1.3x the initial cost (an estimated $2 million). The third layer would increase to 3x the capacity (615,000 modules a year) for a total of 1.7x the initial cost. As the system is scaled further, total costs and the final manufacturing cost per unit “will fall to levels the market has never seen before”, Vivet says. RLP systems are configured to continually perform operations until a specified number of layers is completed and then remove the product from the system. The repeating layer may include one or multiple parts.
72 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
The capacity of the production system can be scaled to over 5x the initial capacity. Vivet says it can provide several options of manufacturing operation capabilities through its manufacturing branch and partners.
“The process is an alternative to the linear method of manufacturing and offers a totally different level of manufacturing efficiency.” Says the firm. “Our process not only improves production, but also quality, efficiency, scalability, modularity and more.” The company says its process also introduces the concept of ‘zero system downtime’, with production able to ‘bypass’ any individual machine that
is out of operation such as for repair or maintenance. This in turn eliminates bottlenecks and increases utilization of equipment. Vivet says its process is the first to give companies the option of increasing investment incrementally in line with its production requirements — providing an ability to build a lowcapacity system for low investment, without existing equipment becoming obsolete.
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W A IN W N AR ER D 20 21
COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Winner —2021 — Hammond Group
Lead silicate as a performance additive M
odern battery applications demand robust performance under adverse external conditions and rigorous duty cycles. One factor affecting performance and service life is stratification of the battery cell electrolyte. Acid stratification has been a known issue which affects battery life, especially for batteries under heavy cycling or PSoC cycling applications. The increased concentration of sulfuric acid at the lower portions of the battery active material plates promotes the formation of a surface layer of passive lead sulfate and reduces plate activation. Stratification produces inflated open circuit voltage measurements, reduced battery performance and unequal charge across the plates, each of which can lead to reduced battery life. Ideally, the electrolyte should be a homogenous mixture of water and sulfuric acid. Due to the exchange reactions of the charge/discharge cycle, a flow of sulfate (SO4-) and hydrogen (H+) ions occurs between the active material surface reaction layer and the bulk of the electrolyte. During the charge/discharge cycle of the battery, acid is absorbed and released by the active material.
The mobility of the H+ ion can cause an increase or decrease in acid concentration (specific gravity). Under ideal recharge conditions, evolved gasses will properly mix the electrolyte on a frequent basis. During insufficient recharge or extended periods of inactivity, the denser acid will settle to the bottom of the cell creating a density gradient. This ultimately leads to reduced battery performance through unequal charge across the plate, increased corrosion, sulfation, and active material loss at the bottom of the plates. Currently accepted methods to combat acid stratification include the addition of “equalization” charges where the battery is charged at a volt-
Examination of the additive before and after acid treatment by SEMEDS using a Phenom Pro benchtop instrument identified a change in the overall morphology of the starting material.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Through experimentation with novel lead compounds, Hammond Group Inc has developed a new lead acid battery additive for both the positive and negative electrode active materials. This lead silicate additive has been shown to react with acidic compounds such as the sulfuric acid battery electrolyte to form both gel-like domains of Si-OH (silane) as well as lead sulfate. Cells constructed with the additive demonstrate electrical performance similar to the controls, except for an increase in the overall cell voltage
74 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
during formation and cycling, a decrease in capacity at increased additive loading, and a slight increase in CCA seconds to 1V per cell. Most importantly, results from full-scale battery testing show that an increase in the additive loading level impacts the degree of acid stratification observed during duty life. It is hoped that further optimization of the additive will achieve greater benefit in the ability to control or reduce acid stratification.
age above the gassing limit (2.43V) to induce the electrolytic formation of hydrogen/oxygen gas bubbles. Similarly, air can be mechanically bubbled through the cell to mix the electrolyte. Alternate VRLA battery architectures such as AGM or gel batteries seek to prevent stratification through immobilization of the electrolyte. In both architectures, the normally free electrolyte is trapped in either a porous glass fiber matte or transformed into a silica-sol gel by the addition of silica to the sulfuric acid. The silica reacts with the hydrogen ions of the acid to produce a gel network of O-Si-O bonds. Compared to flooded batteries, VRLA architectures have some disadvantages including increased vulnerability to thermal runaway during abusive charging and the inability to diagnose life-reducing improper charging via electrolyte hydrometer testing. Overcharging a VRLA battery leads to premature failure and a much shorter service life compared to a properly maintained wet-cell battery. Additionally, AGM and gel batteries are typically twice the cost of flooded batteries. Hammond’s additives In search of an innovative solution to the problems of acid stratification, the Hammond R&D team has recently patented the use of novel lead silicate additive compounds in the positive and/or negative electrodes to improve the retention and distribution of H+ ions within the active material. These additives provide numerous benefits through the following mechanisms: • A network of silica gel (structure) is created inside PAM or NAM, • Mass transfer of acid from the active material to the electrolyte is reduced during charging The additive material consists of a Pb-Si glass frit. The frit is formed by melting silicon rich quartz glass (sand) and incorporating lead oxide molecules
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Stratification produces inflated open circuit voltage measurements, reduced battery performance and unequal charge across the plates, each of which can lead to reduced battery life. in the form of low metallic yellow litharge (PbO) into the structural lattice. Pure silica has a tetrahedral structure, and in its crystalline form, silica molecules directly bond to each other via oxygen atoms located at the corners of each tetrahedral pyramid. Introducing PbO to molten silica causes the partial breakage of the original direct silica interconnections. The resulting lead silicate combines the properties of the two materials and allows the battery’s active material to exhibit the acid-absorbing properties of Si. Key material characteristics include a high composition of PbO relative to SiO2, similar material density to lead oxide, and low levels of harmful impurities. These properties make the material suitable for use as an additive to lead acid batteries. Additionally, and most importantly, is that in acidic aqueous solutions such as battery electrolyte, the previously mentioned “chain disruption” of the tetrahedral silica molecules by Pb ions deteriorates the chemical durability of the material. This allows the H+ ions to replace the modifier cations (Pb+) in the glass network, forming Si-OH (silanol)
groups which behave like fumed silica. The additive therefore binds with acid protons in the active material creating pockets of silica-acid gel and combating stratification. The by-products of this reaction are harmless, common chemical species typically found in the battery’s active material such as lead sulfate. During development of this additive, Hammond’s research team characterized the interaction between lead silicate and the acidic electrolyte solution. Examination of the material’s ability to react with and retain sulfuric acid were carried out in the laboratory. Lead silicate was tested for solubility in both deionized water and 1.4 sg sulfuric acid. Test results showed lead silicate is negligibly soluble in H2O, however a considerable amount of weight gain (~22%) was observed after reaction with acid. This weight gain was theorized to be caused by the retention of acid in a silica-gel structure and by the formation of lead sulfate. Examination of the additive before and after acid treatment by SEM-EDS using a Phenom Pro benchtop instrument identified a change in the overall morphology of the starting material as shown in Figure 2.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
In the image, one can see the formation of fine granular lead sulfate crystals and smooth greyish regions of exposed silica that occurs after the material reacts with sulfuric acid. EDS probing of these new morphological formations confirms the presence and absence of silicon in each formation. Electrical examinations Table 1 presents a summary of the stratification evaluation results conducted on these batteries. Note that stratification was considered to have occurred in the batteries if the difference in specific gravity between top and bottom of the cell was greater than 0.015 (15 points). The control battery shows acid stratification after the C20 and C100 discharges. The recharging profile of 115% charge returned + 15Ah boost charge is not sufficient to mix the acid well enough in these two cases. As can be seen, the impact on the acid stratification reduction is as follows: Additive in both PAM and NAM > NAM only > PAM only > Control. Based on the discharge data, lower capacity was observed if lead silicate was added to the PAM only, which agrees with prior cell testing data discussed above. The height of the plate in the Group 27 batteries is 5” (12.7cm). Tall industrial sized battery types will typically see more serious acid stratification and potentially greater benefits from use of the lead silicate additive to reduce this issue.
Table 1. Results of acid stratification measurements during cycle life of Group 27 batteries Group 27 Flooded Battery (w/ plate height: 5”)
Control
PAM w/ 1% PbSiO3
NAM w/ 1% PbSiO3
Both PAM and NAM w/ 1% PbSiO3
Battery #
D3
A10
B2
C6
Acid stratification after C5* discharge and recharge** (∆ S.G. between top and bottom)***
0.012
0.005
0.006
0.001
Acid stratification after C10* discharge and recharge** (∆ S.G. between top and bottom)***
0.014
0.010
0.007
0.004
Acid stratification after C20* discharge and recharge** (∆ S.G. between top and bottom)***
0.022
0.013
0.008
0.002
Acid stratification after C100* discharge and recharge** (∆ S.G. between top and bottom)***
0.035
0.024
0.017
0.007
* Before discharge, more charging steps were applied to ensure no acid stratification. Specific gravities (top & bottom) were measured before discharge. ** Recharge profile: 115% of discharge energy + 15 Ah (boost charge step) *** Specific gravity (SG) was measured by digital hydrometer in two cells. The results reported are the averaged value.
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Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 75
W A IN W N AR ER D 20 20
COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Winner —2020 — Arc Active
Achieving high DCA with low water loss A
rcActive has re-engineered the negative electrode of the lead battery to remove the lead grid and replace it with a non-woven carbon fibre fabric into which traditional lead active material is inserted. The benefit of this innovation is that it solves the number one technical challenge facing the industry; achieving high and sustained dynamic charge acceptance while having very low water consumption. ArcActive was founded in 2011 on the intellectual property developed by associate professor John Abrahamson at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. The IP relates to a novel carbon fibre material, and early applications that were investigated included low energy light bulbs, ultracapacitors and solar cells before deciding on a novel, carbon fibre-based negative electrode for the lead battery. Partnerships ArcActive batteries are unique in being able to achieve the very high DCA targets promoted by the CBI of 2A/ Ah, which maximizes the CO2 benefits of micro hybrid vehicles, while still achieving very low water consumption results of less than 3g/Ah. ArcActive batteries perform as well as normal EFB and AGM batteries on other automotive tests; that is, there is no compromise in performance in moving to ArcActive’s technology. There is a modest on-cost in moving to this material, but there is a strong value proposition for car makers to adopt (a low-cost option for CO2 reduction). Just as important as the performance levels of the innovation is the ability to manufacture the electrodes at speeds and volumes required to be commercially relevant in the lead battery industry. Developing the core processes has been a focus at ArcActive since its founding in 2011, and the company says that while work continues on this front, it has relevant, high volume
76 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
throughput processes that enable the electrodes to be made at the very fine tolerances demanded by automotive applications. This combination of superior technical performance and high-volume manufacturing processes has allowed ArcActive to secure partnerships with some of the leading battery companies in the lead battery industry, who are working towards taking this technology to market. While ArcActive’s focus has been on achieving high DCA for micro hybrid car batteries, the technology is also probably very well suited to other partial state of charge applications. To this end, the company says it has early but promising results for use of the battery in PSoC applications to support renewable energy generation, which again show that ArcActive’s negative electrodes do not appear to degrade in PSoC use. Given the trend towards lead batteries needing to perform well in PSoC
applications (automotive, battery energy storage systems, forklifts etc), ArcActive’s technology is ideally suited to allow lead battery technology to thrive and prosper even with the threats posed from lithium ion and evolving market requirements.
The benefit of this innovation is that it solves the number one technical challenge facing the industry; achieving high and sustained dynamic charge acceptance while having very low water consumption.
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W A IN W N AR ER D 20 19
COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Winner —2019 — RSR Technologies
Doubling the cycle life of lead batteries
R
SR Technologies convincingly won the 2019 innovation award after developing a ground-breaking lead alloy that potentially doubles the cycle life of lead batteries. The new product, branded and patented — unfortunately all in capital letters — SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE, contains an engineered suite of microalloying additions, which enhance the cycling and charge acceptance of the active material in a lead acid battery. Known as 009, it is a grid alloy engineered for higher use temperatures, developed by RSR Technologies, a subsidiary of the engineering unit of Eco-Bat Group, following a long history of development. SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE was initially launched in the South African market, where it went into commercial production at the South African lead battery firm Auto-X, the maker
of the Willard brand of batteries. Tests showed it doubled the cycle life of lead batteries and greatly reduced water loss, Tim Ellis, president of R&D at RSR Technologies until moving into semiretirement this June, said the improvement in performance that this product delivers has the potential to help lead acid batteries level the playing field with its main competitor, lithium-ion batteries. “The fact is that lead acid batteries now have a real competitor in the form of lithium and this can help it compete on performance,” Ellis said. “For such a dominant and widely used technology, lead acid batteries were pretty poorly understood. What we have done is apply science to better understand how they work and, as a result, move their performance closer to what it should be.
Above: DOD 17.5% testing of Willard Batteries with and without SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE show the improvement offered by crystal modifying leady oxide. Below: Performance summary of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE performance in 2V test cells.
“Lead batteries have many other advantanges over lithium, especially the success with which they are recycled, and the availability of the raw material compared with lithium. “Lithium has always had great cycling and great energy but higher cost and nowhere near the recyclability of lead,” said Ellis. “Lead is less expensive and more recyclable but didn’t have the energy or the cycling. Now it can maintain its low cost and improve its cycling and energy as well. “If we can improve the performance of lead, without having to reinvent the product, this represents a boost to the entire industry. We are very excited about the potential of what we have achieved here.” The foundations of the work that resulted in the development of SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE began with David Prengaman, the president of RSR Technologies until eight years ago, when he retired and Ellis took the reins. In his earlier years with RSR, Prengaman completed extensive work to remove and analyze impurities in lead. This gradually moved to focus on the effect of adding selected alloys or ‘dopants’ to lead, and assessing the effect on the performance of the batteries in which they are used. Over the years, Ellis estimates that the company tested more than 100 combinations of different alloys in this way. The tests would focus on the capacity of batteries, their dynamic charge acceptance and their cycle life. “We tested these things extensively to see what would improve the performance of batteries and we realized that certain combinations would make a big difference to the electrical performance,” Ellis said. The level of the dopants being added
Product
One hour capacity (mA-Hrs/mg)
MHT cycle life (cycles)
Dynamic charge acceptance (A/A*hr)
DoD 17.5% cycles
DoD 50% cycles
DoD 100% cycles
Control
74
8,000
0.21
3,000
810
765
SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE Patent 20170317351
84
42,000
0.49
4170
1140
990
Test method
BCI
EN 50342:2015
EN 50342:2015
BCI
BCI
BCI
Improvement
13.5%
x5
x2
39.0%
40.7%
40.1%
78 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
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is tiny. But he said that in some instances cycle life was improved by some 40%, dynamic charge acceptance by a factor of two and capacity by 10%. The big breakthrough, however, came when the company secured access to an Advanced Photon Source synchrotron, which is housed at the Argonne National Laboratory and is used in a huge range of scientific disciplines. This allowed it to accurately assess the effect of the proportions of the micro-alloying additions on the micro-structure of the active material. Although the technology had previously been applied to lithium, RSR was the first to apply it to lead. In essence, it allowed them to watch the performance and evolution of the active material micro-structure in the batteries as they cycled in real time by using the APS synchrotron, allowing far more accurate analysis of the dynamics of crystallization phenomena occurring in the battery during charge/discharge cycling. “How and why crystals do, or do not, dissolve is key to improving performance in applications,” Ellis said. “Prior to using this, we knew there was an improvement in performance, but we did not know why. This allowed us to see exactly what was going on and the effect it was having on the battery. “We were able to do this x-ray analysis of the battery plate as it went through the charge and discharge cycle, so we could understand exactly what was going on in the lead. That allowed us to understand how to better engineer the metals to make them more efficient.” Ellis said the ANL welcomed the idea of looking at lead. In the laboratory experiments that followed, when the SUPERSOFT-HYCYCLE alloy was placed against a control lead element typical of standard lead batteries, the careful selection of microalloying additions and removal of specific contaminants were found to directly aid in changing the PbSO4 to a more easily dissoluble crystal form — thus prolonging battery life. The cyclability test was based on a specification of a 17.5% depth-of-discharge; normally the cycle rate would be between 800 and 900, Ellis said. Using the RSR alloy it did up to 1,600 cycles. “This is real; it is not a promise or something that may or may not work. It is real now,” Ellis said.
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Winner —2018 — Gridtential Energy
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
New bipolar lead battery architecture F
our years ago Gridtential Energy won the innovation award for its silicon joule technology. This combines the traditional benefits of lead acid batteries, such as low cost, recyclability and safety, with a novel bipolar battery architecture. This stacked-cell architecture dramatically reduces the weight of the battery and provides it with the power density associated with lithium technology. John Barton, chief executive of Gridtential Energy, said that by integrating high-volume and lowcost solar manufacturing into the existing lead battery infrastructure, the company has devised an approach that is scalable and should be commercialized, whereas other technologies require novel processing techniques and custom manufacturing equipment. The commercialization process has proved trickier to execute than previously thought, and it wasn’t until the end of April that Gridtential was ready to launch a series of AGM reference batteries produced on East Penn Manufacturing’s prototype line.
How the bipolar batteries stack up
“These are not just samplers but also batteries that are ready to be sold to the market,” said Barton. The first commercial product is a single-block 24V lead battery optimized for deep-cycle applications. A 12V power version will follow late spring, with 48V versions of each appearing in the second half of the year. “Silicon Joule technology can also improve the performance of existing SLI and auxiliary batteries by delivering more cranking power over a wider operating range,” Barton said. “The improved power performance is also extremely important in backup applications, such as telecom and UPS, where the batteries are called upon to deliver large currents in sub-second time frames. “Overall, as demand in high-power applications increases across industries, the Silicon Joule technology’s flexible voltage scalability, thermal management system, recyclability, manufacturability and simplistic design deliver the high dynamic charge acceptance required to meet these evolving performance needs.” Founded in 2011, Gridtential’s material discovery — the use of treated silicon wafers inside the battery — led to the development of Silicon Joule technology. Gridtential has subsequently attracted the world’s largest battery suppliers, and is eyeing new storage markets across the globe as demand for 48V batteries increases for electric-hybrid vehicles. Barton said this innovation is important for the lead battery industry, which faces a unique set of challenges brought on by competition from lithium-ion and the reputation of lead commodities. “Silicon Joule battery technology leverages existing lead recycling infrastructures. But also the amount of lead used in the battery is reduced by up to 40%, significantly decreasing the overall weight of the battery. “Compared to traditional Continued on page 80
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 79
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Gridtential: Continued from page 79
monoblocs, the Silicon Joule battery is lighter and has higher power densities. Gridtential’s approach to battery architecture is built upon a capital-light licensing model that partners with, rather than competes with, battery manufacturers. This allows them to compete against new and emerging technology threats without gigascale capital investments. “Lithium alone cannot satisfy the global demand for storage,” he said. “As the global EV market heats up and major car manufacturers scramble to secure supply, lithium sourcing challenges loom on the horizon. The same applies to cobalt, which is often used in lithium-ion batteries.” Additionally, as the multi-billion dollar market for 48V battery systems swells to keep pace with newly increased voltage standards in hybrid-electric vehicles, Gridtential’s Silicon Joule technology will provide its global battery manufacturing partners with an economic, scalable and reliable platform. Gridtential’s immediate focus is on 12V-48V mild hybrid automotive systems. However, it aims to offer power to a diverse range of technologies across an array of sectors, including material handling equipment, grid storage systems, mobile telephony, back-up power devices for cloud computing, and more. The first commercial product produced in 2021 is a single-block 24V lead battery optimized for deepcycle applications. A 12V power version will follow late spring, with 48V versions of each appearing in the second half of the year. Barton encourages lead acid battery manufacturers to embrace this opportunity — and go big. “While Tesla was aiming for five gigafactories by 2020, existing lead acid battery manufacturers could license Gridtential’s Silicon Joule technology and convert their existing lines to compete with the evolving needs of the battery industry. “That way, there could be roughly 70 lead acid gigafactories worldwide, with over 500GwH,” he said.
80 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
Winner — 2017 — NorthStar
Checking battery health from the cloud’s vantage A
ground-breaking development in remote monitoring came from NorthStar — now part of EnerSys — on the basis of what its then CEO Hans Lidén called its most ground-breaking innovation: NorthStar ACE (Advanced Connected Energy). This is an IoT service where it connects batteries to a cloud portal. This means that the battery users can review the battery health and status at any time from anywhere. Furthermore, the embedded battery sensor communicates with both the site technician and the power system, to ensure correct installation and settings. The device has been primarily launched for the telecom sector, but can be expanded to new segments. “It started in 2015 with a technology assessment to find a good solution for embedded sensors, and when this succeeded, we started developing the sensor communication system, includ-
ing the cloud portal and mobile app,” Lidén said. “The work was initiated as part of a broader development strategy, where we analyzed and identified the future growth regions for telecom back-up power and concluded that the growth in remote regions, with challenging conditions, was significant. “This was a clear driver for developing a remote monitoring solution. In addition, our strategy is to continuously improve both performance and sustainability of our products and we wanted to provide a solution which makes battery usage more efficient and prolongs battery life.” In addition, a sales and marketing team have in parallel been developing the business proposal for NorthStar ACE. In terms of how this innovation could potentially change or benefit the battery industry, Lidén said that the big-
NorthStar’s ACE (Advanced Connected Energy), uses an IoT service where it connects batteries to a cloud portal — and from there to any internet connected device, here a smart phone.
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gest direct impact will be longer battery life, but also reduced operational costs for site owner. “The battery life will be prolonged as installation and settings are done correctly from the start, and the continuous monitoring enables corrective actions when needed and only when needed,” he said. “Added benefits are better warehouse control, less scrapping and the like, which of course lowers operational costs. An unmeasurable indirect consequence of better control of the reserve power is less site down time, which in turn means that lost revenue due to outages is reduced.” In terms of the wider world, remote
monitoring of reserve power will have an impact on a number of areas. It can, for example, be used in professional transport, where truck drivers more and more depend on power in their cabins when the engine is off. Data centres are another critical area that depend on reliable reserve power. “With a better controlled back-up power source, these applications will improve the situation for the users. Enabling remote monitoring also enables better use of renewable power instead of fossil fuels, as the variation of the main power source is compensated with better control of the backup power,” he said. Looking at a broader scope, increased
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battery life and improved battery utilization means that fewer batteries are needed, which improves sustainability even if the batteries already today have a high recycling rate, Lidén said. “Furthermore, remote control eliminates a high portion of unnecessary transport to site, which again benefits the environment. “NorthStar ACE is an advanced solution in a simple package. The batteries look exactly the same on the outside as our traditional batteries, but with advanced features. As the world is talking about the Internet of Things, this may be the first example of connected energy.”
Winner —2016 — Hammond Group
A two-pronged success: LAB2, next gen expanders
H
ammond Group, best known in the battery business for its range of expanders, hit the ground running in 2016. It advanced the cause of better lead batteries in two ways — a revolutionary expander formulation and the provision of an open-collaboration research laboratory, known as E=LAB². Its latest, customizable expanders provide lead acid batteries with dramatically improved dynamic charge acceptance while the LAB2 is dedicated to industry technical development. Its goal is to enable lead acid batteries to achieve 80% of lithium-ion’s technical performance, but at just 20% of its cost. Dynamic charge acceptance — the way batteries can accept and rapidly store large influxes of energy — is the next big thing for the lead acid business. It opens up two worlds — that of microhybrids in the automotive sector and the huge new areas of business with grid-scale storage. In laboratory testing and now in production batteries, Hammond has achieved an order-of-magnitude increase in dynamic charge acceptance while simultaneously increasing cycle life.
Figure 1 shows relative comparisons to Hammond’s control samples. The innovation does not require a change in other battery paste ingredients, grids, or plates. No change in any other material component or process. No new tooling, production technique, distribution, use, scrap characterization, or recycling. This represents a new expander family, with no safety concerns or known adverse effects. Moreover, this is customizable according to the needs of the batteries being made and their in-service operating conditions. Hammond has a long tradition in producing lead chemicals for a variety of glass, ceramics, colour and plastic applications. “We’ve always pioneered technical substitutes and advancements in answer to an ever changing market,” CEO Terry Murphy told Batteries International. “We’ve been very successful adapting to industry’s shifting demand for lead-based chemicals.” The nub of the problem between lead and lithium is mostly a question of price and recyclability. For advanced energy storage — power generation or hybrid vehicles —
lithium-ion batteries meet most of the technical requirements, but are too expensive and not recycled. By contrast lead acid batteries are inexpensive and 100% recyclable, but don’t have the necessary cycle life. “On a personal note,” said Murphy, “a major influence on Hammond’s decision to invest in our LAB² came from Sally [Miksiewicz], who understood these emerging lead acid battery markets better than anyone, which is why East Penn invested in the Ultra Battery. “My first meeting with Sally was scheduled for a quick 30-minute introduction, but ended up lasting several hours, with another followup shortly thereafter. We were immediately on the same page — both recognized the need and importance of research to lead the industry forward.” Hammond has amassed an impressive assembly of state-of-the-art equipment in LAB² — these range from multi-position testing equipment from Maccor and Bitrode, which can test up from mini-cells to SLI batteries to micro-hybrid and stationary testing. There are also general laboratory instruments such as units providing X-ray diffraction, Continued on page 82
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Hammond: continued from page 81
BET Surface Area, UV/Vis spectroscopy. Gordon Beckley, chief technology officer, said: “With the equipment we have on offer, the huge number of algorithms that can be input to detail the types of usage batteries undergo — and why — that can form the starting point for what performance can be. “One huge advantage that we can bring to bear is a rapid material and electrode screening process — typically we can make valid performance predictions within a couple of weeks. “This is unheard of in an industry where typically it takes several months for a clear picture to emerge from research.” Hammond’s investment in technology is effectively an attempt at a company level to compete against the US government-subsidized advanced battery research, which has focused on lithium-ion.
The traditional lead acid battery suffers a critical, but certainly not unsolvable, technical deficiency. When subject to high-amp, irregular re-charging intervals — such as energy re-capture from braking, battery life may be seriously shortened, said Murphy. This helped form the background for Hammond’s thinking in looking at ways to see how a better hybrid vehicle battery could be made to accommodate rapid and intermittent charging and discharging. Similarly, an energy grid storage battery must handle the inherent gaps between intermittent wind and solar energy generation and its consumption. “These applications require a battery to perform well in high-rate partial state-of-charge (HRPSoC) operations, accepting a wide range of charging amps at various states of overall charge, and maintain this quality over a normal cycle life,” said Murphy.
“As a speciality chemical business, I felt that Hammond had an enormous potential to address this deficiency, so we made the investment and the strategic commitment to address the PSoC requirement.” Hammond investigated the lead acid battery principle failure mode in HRPSoC applications through a materials interaction study, testing traditional and advanced expander materials. “Exploiting insights on material selection, material interaction and duty-specific formulations, Hammond’s work culminated in its family of negative plate expanders, available for a wide range of HRPSoC applications. “We’ve discovered a whole new class of materials, but it wasn’t just our new material, or a particular carbon, it was the interaction and exact dosing of these new compounds that was central to this technical breakthrough.”
Charge acceptance improvement
Simulated energy storage application
PSoC cycling improvement
2016’s winning entry: expander and E=MC2 laboratory
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INSIGHT
Mettler Toledo: Your trusted partner for excellence in the battery value chain! Mettler Toledo offers precision instruments and services for many applications in research and development, quality control, production, logistics and retail to customers around the world. Our innovative laboratory and industrial solutions also support the various steps of the lithiumion battery value chain, from the testing of raw materials and battery components, through to production and final quality control. Our portfolio of analytical solutions are at the forefront when it comes to the testing of battery components, raw materials and recycling testing — both in R&D labs for development and in the vital area of quality control during the manufacturing process.
Water content determination is a vital service because of the damage it can cause to lithium-ion batteries. Karl Fischer titration is the specific standard method for the determination of water content and gives accurate and precise results within minutes. With Mettler Toledo Karl Fischer titrators your operators need only press one button to run a water content determination. Water content determination is a vital service because of the damage it can cause to lithium-ion batteries. Water reacts with the liquid electrolyte inside the battery leading to aggressive degradation that greatly reduces performance. Therefore,
thorough testing for water in all functional components of a lithiumion battery is essential to ensure high quality. Thorough testing for water in all functional components of a lithiumion battery is therefore essential to ensure high quality, to find the right device for your specific analysis requirements. Along with water, hydrofluoric acid (HF) — one of the detrimental degradation products of lithium hexafluorophosphate — can be tested using an acid-base titration. You are welcome to find out more about the determination of detrimental water and hydrofluoric acid in main lithium-ion battery components by using this link (https:// bit.ly/3yWLcdO) to download our white paper. Mettler Toledo is also an invaluable partner for density measurement of lithium-ion battery electrolytes by density meter, in addition to separator analysis and testing by thermogravimetry (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA). We also work closely with customers to ensure the highest quality of lithium-ion battery production — from the start of the 25 production stems that a lithium-ion battery goes through up to completion and reaching the pinnacle of quality and performance. We welcome an opportunity to discuss your specific service needs from our array of services, including a comprehensive weighing service portfolio, laboratory balance services, industrial scales service, equipment support and other measuring equipment services.
Mettler Toledo is an invaluable partner for density measurement of lithium-ion battery electrolytes by density meter
Automated tltration for a laboratory
Density meter
Karl Fischer titration is the specific standard method for the determination of water content and gives accurate and precise results within minutes. With Mettler Toledo, Karl Fischer titrators your operators need only press one button to run a water content determination 84 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
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Accurate analytical testing for battery manufacturing
Ensuring Lithium Ion Battery Quality Specific Sodium Determination Titration solutions across the value chain Simple and Accurate
Raw materials testing
Electrolyte testing
Electrode testing
Recycled testing
• Purity of Lithium carbonate/Lithium hydroxide • Lithium content in brine
• Water content • Hydrofluoric acid content
• Water content • Metal content: nickel, manganese, cobalt and iron. • Impurity content: chloride, hydroxide and carbonate
• Metal content from waste batteries
Health risks related to excess salt
Simple and accurate analysis
Reduce investment and operation costs
This instrument has been specifically Not only does the Sodium Analyzer reduce The salt content of food products influences designed to simplify the determination of initial investment costs, it also reduces the taste, but can also adversely affect sodium in food products using the standard operation costs. Replace the silver nitrate health. There is a clear link between sodium For more applications and analytical addition technique. Simply add a sample (AgNO3) titrant normally used for chloride intake and high blood pressure. testing The Worldproducts: and ionic strength adjustment (ISA) solution determination with the cheaper and safer Health Organization (WHO) has published Density meter, UV Vis spectrophotometer, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetry (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry and start the measurement. That’s it! No sodium standards and reagents.Save operator data showing that blood pressure is the (DSC), Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA). and more, please visit: www.mt.com/Li-ion-battery system calibration is necessary. Specific time and increase productivity with fast number one health-risk factor in Europe and sodium analysis has never been so quick sample measurements. food producers are forced to declare or even and easy. reduce the standardly used salt (sodium chloride) content in foods. www.mt.com/titration
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW Abertax
Advanced Battery Concepts
Ever inventive, ever attentive to detail
The joys of bipolar batteries
A
bertax has been nominated three times in the awards for a wide variety of submissions. In 2019 the company patented an innovation aiming to give the optimal charging regime, involving Abertax Battery Management Systems (e2BMS). It was designed to identify wirelessly which battery, from a number of batteries, has been connected to a charger, and also gather relevant battery data allowing it to programme the most efficient and economic charging profile possible as well as extending the battery lifetime. It was developed in collaboration between the R&D team at Abertax with charger manufacturer Industrie Elektronik Brilon in Germany. “Having a battery communicating with its charger to provide the required data to charge it at the right charging profile will have a huge impact on the lifetime and battery performance besides saving time and energy,” the company said. In 2018 the firm applied for the BCI Innovation Award on the basis of the one-valve battery lid for VRLA batteries, which it says will mean a more reliable and better performing lead acid battery. Abertax developed a valve with extreme low opening pressure tolerances of +/-25mbar. (The standard is more than +/-50mbar.) However, different opening pressures result in different gassing rates and water loss and leads to premature failure. This new lid design guarantees the same pressure in each cell.
A
In 2018 the firm applied for the BCI Innovation Award on the basis of the one-valve battery lid for VRLA batteries
The firm believes this design will eventually be used in all VRLA batteries. It will also mean cost savings, making it even more appealing to manufacturers. In 2016 Abertax displayed a new patented gel filling process for use in PzV and OPzV cells, which could make the manufacturing process cleaner, safer and cheaper while improving the quality of the batteries. One of the reasons for gel batteries having a slightly higher price than AGM has been the cumbersome process associated with their filling, formation and finishing processes, and this alleviates some of the problems.
2019: Battery Monitoring System – ABERTAX® e2 BMS
Gel transport tubes
Acid tank Gel mixing tank
Dead end plug
Pump
Filling plugs OPzV cells
Valve
In 2016 Abertax displayed a new patented gel filling process
86 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
dvanced Battery Concepts is one of two firms pushing the boundaries of bipolar batteries. In 2016 it won an honourable mention from the BCI judges and it returned the following year showing improvements in its GreenSeal technology. This was a suite of patented technologies and simplified production processes, to enable the construction of reduced lead content, high performance, lower cost lead batteries in existing formats for today’s and newly enabled future markets. Advanced Battery Concepts said at the time it was close to full scale production and a global roll out of its bipolar technology. Seven battery firms have subsequently joined ABC as licensees. The battery industry has always recognized that if a bi-polar lead acid battery could be manufactured successfully it would have significant advantages for the battery manufacturer and the end user. “Bi-polar battery designs eliminate grids and top lead and utilize the active chemistry far more efficiently thereby reducing the lead content for the same energy. They would be cheaper to make, smaller and lighter, better for the environment, have a faster recharge rate and greater cycle life,” the firm says. “To be successful a bi-polar battery needs to be commercially scalable, recyclable and robust. We have concentrated our business focus on simplifying materials, product designs and manufacturing processes and are taking bi-polar lead acid batteries to a new level at ABC.” Previous attempts at making a commercially viable bi-polar battery at scale have met with limited success because of a number of problems, including the inability to seal between cells and failure to seal to the external environment, Continued on page 87
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ABC: Continued from page 86
the use of costly exotic materials to overcome corrosion and conductivity issues, the requirement for an external strengthening structure to provide uniform AGM compression and to overcome cycling stresses which ultimately result in poor performance in terms of energy and power density, cycle life and cost. “ABC’s batteries are lighter and cheaper than equivalent batteries in the market today and our partners are really achieving the results we’ve claimed. We have made things simpler and the performance is better,” says the firm. One of the biggest breakthroughs in the design is that it reduces the lead content in the battery by some 45%. “That reduction, which is attributable to the bi-polar design, means a significant reduction in the battery manufactured costs,” Hobday says. The company has also achieved a higher energy density (50 Wh/kg with a path to > 60 Wh/kg — this compares with 35Wh/kg for the best in class AGM batteries today. It has also achieved higher power — >1000 W/kg while maintaining high energy (>40 Wh/kg), a faster recharge of 1.4x faster, a cycle life of three to six times the current VRLA battery life with the potential for more than 10 times, and all at a lower cost.
In 2016 Abertax it won an honourable mention from the BCI judges
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Aqua Metals
Recycling without the smelting
A
qua Metals received an honourable mention in the 2017 awards. Aqua has developed a lead battery recycling process that it calls AquaRefining as an alternative to high temperature smelting of a molten lead. AquaRefining, the firm says, is a more efficient, less expensive way to build and produce a higher quality product. AquaRefining is a form of electro-winning. As a liquid-based room tempera-
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ture process using methyl sulfonic acid it eliminates the processes which produce lead-containing dust, sulfur dioxide and other emissions that are inherent to smelting. This, the firm says, makes environmental compliance simpler and less expensive. Aqua Metals said had intended to bring the technology to market first by building and operating its own facilities to demonstrate how a plant would operate. However, much of its Reno facility in Nevada burnt down in November 2019 before Aqua Metals had achieved its goal of having 16 AquaRefining modules in place to show its commercial viability.
Modifications to the 2013 prototype (left) resulted in the replicable version
Battery Rescue Australia
A safer way to collect and recycle
B
attery Rescue Australia provides an environmentally friendly, safer and more convenient method for storing and transporting used batteries called the Battery Transport & Storage container that was entered for the award in 2019. The company was established as a demonstration battery collection business by its sister company Uniseg Products, using a BTS container developed by Uniseg as a safer, more environmentally sustainable and efficient method of storing and transporting used lead acid batteries destined for recycling. The product was developed by inventor, entrepreneur and managing director Fenton Goddard, who noticed when helping a friend in his recycling business that the transport and storage of used lead acid batteries was neither safe nor “The containers provide an
environmentally superior, safer and more convenient method for storing and transporting their used batteries,” says the firm. “The use of battery-powered 4G IoT technology has enabled us to overcome many of the transport challenges to large mine sites in remote areas.” Bush says many mining companies such as BHP are seeking a safer, regulation-compliant solution for the onsite storage and transport of used lead acid batteries, while also reducing their environmental impact. The product offers benefits including better safety loading and transport; improved environmental outcomes by eliminating acid leaks (containing high lead levels); more convenient and efficient stacking of batteries; regulation compliance and reduced legal risks; and improved battery recycling rates from remote mine sites.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 87
Special machines and plants
HADILIN Our approved mold release agent HADILIN contributes substantially to the grid quality and the performance of the die-casting machines. Easy to apply with the new automatic spraying system of HADI die casters, it supports the good and even injection process, thus minimizing the wear of the mold. HADILIN protects against corrosion and pitting of the mold surface, does not create environmental or fire hazards and can be used for all lead-antimony and lead-calcium alloys with excellent results.
HADI Offermann Maschinenbau GmbH Gevelsberg, Germany hadi-germany@hadi.com
for the production of accumulators
Casting Center for Spine Grids
CC6
Double-Grid Casting Output up to 6 Spine Grids per Minute.
HADI Maschinenbau Ges.m.b.H. Amstetten, Austria office@hadi.at
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Black Diamond Structures
Opening the battery world up to nanotechnology
B
lack Diamond Structures received an honourable mention in the 2016 category bringing the advantages of the world of nanotechnology to a wider audience. Black Diamond Structures is the commercialization vehicle for Molecular Rebar, a nanotechnology, based on a patented form of the discrete carbon nanotube, that offers a variety of improvements to the lead acid battery industry. The first, says the firm, is a dramatically improved cycle life — with increases of over 50% in cycling. Charge acceptance is also improved by around a quarter and there are also benefits of greater performance in cold temperatures as well as strong resistance to physical and thermal abuse. Molecular Rebar can be easily incorporated into the existing manufacturing process — with no additional capital costs or modifications to production processes. In recent years, lead acid battery developers have used activated carbon, graphite and hybrid lead carbon electrodes to accommodate higher rates of charge and PSoC operation. These additives show promising results, but frequently require significant alterations to existing production lines and paste-mixing recipes. Determining the optimum carbon composition and
implementing the new additions have been challenging. Furthermore, carbon additives present a host of problems: many contain high concentrations of metallic impurities, which can lead to severe side reactions. Their presence in raw materials destined for use in lead acid batteries is therefore strictly regulated. Carbon additives also alter paste rheology, requiring downstream process changes to accommodate the mix. The Molecular Rebar technology delivers advanced technological solutions at an industrial scale with a minimum of disruption to production. “When we first started thinking about adding Molecular Rebar to batteries, we understood that the processes of mixing, pasting and curing are well established and have been optimized over decades in the industry,” says a Molecular Rebar Design and Black Diamond Structures spokesperson. “We challenged our team to ensure that our product could be incorporated into existing processes without disruption or additional optimization of the manufacturing process.” Black Diamond Structures and Molecular Rebar design, disentangle and functionalize stock carbon nanotubes, making the surface of the tubes compatible with the lead acid battery operating environment, and opening the ends of the tubes. The process also cleans the carbon nanotubes to reduce the residual catalyst content. To prepare for use in lead acid battery pastes, the tubes are uniformly dispersed in an aqueous solution. The final product is a pourable liquid which can be introduced directly into the paste mixing process.
Finding competitive advantage in the process change
90 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
The addition of this product to the negative active material improves charge acceptance and extends lifetime under lab-based cycling protocols and in real-world field trials. These tubes in the positive plates enhance the durability of plates subjected to charge/ discharge cycling still further. “Black Diamond Structures has collected significant performance data from industrially produced 12V batteries at its own testing facilities, at customer sites and at third-party testing facilities. “The data show reductions in charge times of 25%-75% under constantvoltage conditions and increased cycle life of 25%-300%, depending upon the protocol. Pasting trials have shown that Molecular Rebar can reduce waste and improve production quality,” said one of the principal team members engaged in the project.
Daramic
A portfolio of inventiveness
D
aramic, the international separator giant, has advanced separate developments in its technology portfolio. In 2019, Daramic and Huff Technologies developed a way of better simulating how batteries perform in the real world by showing how they move around during everyday use. The Daramic Shuttle Table was designed to mimic real-world scenarios during testing. It was developed because the companies acknowledged that in all types of environments, vehicles and the lead acid batteries they use are constantly moving. Together, they have developed a proprietary testing method along with innovative new machinery to allow battery manufacturers to test their products in a real-life scenario. The technology is able to test up to 12 group 31/L3 batteries simultaneously and the user can select a variety of different programmes offering different types of movements and cycles. The system allows for a direct
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Daramic: Continued from page 90
comparison between batteries based on different working patterns and battery environments. Data are collected via an external drive and transferred using USB ports on the machine. A versatile t-slotted rail system allows for quick and adjustable tie down of batteries of multiple configurations and sizes. The year before, the firm showcased its latest product using carbon coated separator technology. This reduces sulfation crystal growth, delivering a more active surface area on the plates for improved conductance of the electrode. This received an honourable mention. “Carbon applied directly to the separator, using a proprietary method, while being in contact with the negative active materials shows increased dynamic change acceptance at the cell and battery levels versus standard separators,” said Daramic at the time. “This has been proven to slow the growth of lead sulfate crystals, which otherwise tend to grow more rapidly in batteries continuously operating in partial states of charge. “This is part of the Daramic EFB
2018: Carbon Coated Separator Technology
Digatron solution roadmap, to support this new battery working pattern.” In 2017, using advanced computational fluid dynamics, Daramic developed two new separator solutions — Daramic EFS and Daramic RipTide. Daramic EFS is specifically designed to support start-stop vehicle batteries by reducing the battery’s internal resistance and improving voltage drop and CCA. Daramic RipTide combines the latest innovations of Daramic with novel separator profile designs using advanced computational fluid dynamics computer modelling to enhance EFB durability by reducing acid stratification in a partial state of charge environment, which is more typical in start-stop applications. Daramic’s first entry to the BCI Innovation Awards in 2016 was for a product innovation invented in 2013 with research continuing on further refinements. Called DuraLife, this helped protect and maintain the quality and performance in battery designs that use less lead content — a technique that many battery producers have adopted as a way of reducing the overall cost of their products. DuraLife is a new, high performance polyethylene battery separator. Its design improves battery performance, improves efficiency and yield during battery assembly and, most importantly, compensates for lack of performance or lifespan in battery designs where manufacturers are looking to reduce the amount of lead.
2019: The Daramic Shuttle Table was designed to mimic real world scenarios during testing
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Battery testing’s next leap forward: rethinking switch mode technology
D
igatron Power Electronics approached the innovation award in 2016 with a different angle — looking to reinvent the battery testing system from scratch with what it called the world’s first laboratory test system with siliconcarbide technology. “Points of departure from the norm,” said the firm, “were customer demands with regard to energy efficiency, construction size, circuit density, ergonomics, power and dynamic envelope, as well as the latest semiconductor technology derived from military and aeronautics: Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs.” Digatron introduced battery testers with active frontends and output amplifiers in SiC-technology in their Repoweren UBT (20V) and MCT (6V) lines. These systems provide up to six 1.8kW test circuits in one 4U (178mm) rack module. This is equivalent to an almost 10-fold increase of power density compared to any previous designs. “Our Biconditional Energy Supply Tracking (BEST) system ensures optimum energy efficiency under any operating condition,” says the firm. “This process automatically balances the energy flows between the six circuits and tracks the energy balance of the DC link accordingly, either to regenerate 100% in the DC realm (and top off from AC as needed), or to feed excess energy back to the three-phase grid.” The Repoweren units can be cascaded in standard 19 inch rack systems. Test circuits can be paralleled up to several kiloamperes. Extra expenses for climatization or acoustic insulation are unnecessary.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
EnerSys, MAC Engineering
Further bold moves to remove lead from the air
T
wo of the major themes of the 2015 BCI conference — the need for tighter environmental rules and greater health regulation — were picked up by EnerSys and MAC Engineering in the following year’s innovation award nominations. One BCI conference panel session in particular stood out. It was called “Let’s Get the Lead Out: Designing Lead Emission Out of the Manufacturing Process” and was chaired by EnerSys. The panellists — a mix of battery manufacturers and machine suppliers — consisted of representatives from Johnson Controls, East Penn, MAC Engineering, BM Rosendahl and Sovema. They talked about the challenges faced by manufacturers and the potential problems manufacturers, suppliers and producers would have to overcome if these restrictions became more and more stringent and therefore more and more unmanageable. Following the BCI meetings there was a flurry of ideas and meetings between EnerSys and MAC. The initial proposal aimed at improving the pasting line — possibly the hardest point to contain lead in the manufacturing process — which immediately looked an early winner. This involved looking at pasting, flash drying, stacking and the palletizing of plates. If lead and dust could be kept cleaner in this area, both companies believed it would greatly reduce lead in air in the rest of the plant. Keep the paste where it belongs and nowhere else, was the idea. “Perhaps the most important underlying idea was that if we could come up with good ideas for taking this forward the knowledge would not belong to us as a machinery manufacturer or EnerSys as a battery maker but it would be open to the whole industry,” MAC Engineering said. Part of the process was a dis-assembling of the existing health and safety precautions such as cages and guards to protect the employee before assembling them again with the changes. This involved designing modifica-
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tions, closing off any unnecessary openings, using sealed conveyors to transport flaked off paste to sealed drums, extending guards, eliminating places where lead dust can gather, creating more efficient ventilation ports, and leaving as little space as possible for any lead to collect. Because manufacturing lines vary from plant to plant, the thinking was that generic solutions needed to be found — approaches that could be transferred across the industry. EnerSys and MAC said: “We have developed numerous pragmatic and effective measures to reduce lead emissions into the environment, and therefore a genuine hope that the entire bat-
tery industry can be a more productive and environmentally safer place in the future.” Mark Thorsby, then executive vice president at BCI, was positive about the move. “This is a great example of the industry as a whole working together to forge a way ahead,” he said. “What’s particularly impressive is that it started with a couple of individuals being fired up at BCI and taking it from there — this wasn’t about a series of high level meetings to decide to get things done nor was it about making someone richer on the basis of this, It was quite simply working out ways for the industry to get lead out of the air.”
Glatfelter
How a composite scrim laminate can extend EFB cycle life
T
he development and use of enhanced flooded batteries in stop-start systems is progressing at rapid pace. One of the key improvements required to make EFB viable is increased cycle life, particularly of the positive plate. One of the promising routes is to apply a scrim material to the surface of the plate to reduce the degradation rate of the positive active material during cycling. This makes it possible for one product to play two crucial roles: as pasting paper during the production on the pasting line, and then as a retainer scrim, significantly increasing battery cycle life once in operation. Glatfelter has developed a unique composite scrim Dynagrid NG328 that performs both these functions. The product is a composite laminate made up of two layers, one layer of cellulose fibres adjacent to a layer of polyester (PET) fibres.
The Glatfelter inclined-wire paper making technology ensures a laminated product with a perfect interface between the two layers of the afore-mentioned cellulose and PET. Independent analysis showed, among other things, that the Dynagrid NG328 scrim (PET based) increased the DOD 50% cycle life at 40°C by more than 40%. This increase is comparable with glass scrim: Dynagrid NG328 gave an increase of 43%, glass scrim 44%. The Dynagrid NG328 scrim reduces the rate of deterioration of electrical properties during discharge-charge cycling. This results in better C20 capacity retention, improved cold start properties and lower increase of internal resistance during cycling. In all of these properties the effect of Dynagrid NG 328 was moderately superior to glass scrim.
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Mixing impedance and high current testing in one package CMWTEC
C
MWTEC has developed a new end-of-line testing machine for lead-acid batteries together with newly developed water-cooled modular eload modules with highly efficient process control software. This project was developed with the Beuth University of Applied Sciences in Berlin over a period of two years. “After commissioning and running our first EOL machines for two of our customers, we were able to collect a lot of real battery data from the production lines and examine each individual measurement on site,” says Michael Wipperfürth, sales manager at CMWTEC. Reliability is the most important feature of automotive batteries. To ensure reliability, all batteries are subjected to a load test before shipping. Energy losses must be minimized. The batteries are tested for a few seconds at high current. The resulting voltage determines a pass or fail compared to the nominal values. Wipperfürth says this new development is the key to combining impedance and high current discharge testing in one device and one software. “This test combination was previously only possible in the laboratory,” he says. “But we are now bringing it into the production line and significantly increasing quality control at the production site. Thanks to adaptable test profiles, our EOL can now detect
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the most common faults within five seconds.” Mohammed Al-Ogaili, project manager development at CMWTEC, says: “We can find out so much more about the battery by combining discharge with impedance and DC internal resistance testing. “It shows how additional evaluation criteria such as internal DC resistance, impedance and discharge curves over time can be implemented. The test profiles are easy to configure, and the results can be easily evaluated.” The internal resistance Ri of a battery can reflect its own characteristics, which include the state of health of the battery and the state of charge. Therefore Ri should be considered with some caution, as it depends on the measurement method, the state of the battery and the temperature. However, all batteries of a type with relatively the same production process should have Ri values within a definable tolerance band. The integrated system for measuring the internal resistance in CMWTEC’s EOL tester offers new possibilities for battery fault diagnosis in addition to monitoring the voltage and current performance during the HRD (High Rate Discharge) test. This method can also provide new ideas for extreme fault diagnosis and performance prediction of batteries depending on the different test profiles for each battery and statistically analyze the measurements.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW Pro Charging Systems
Using algorithms to extend a battery’s life
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ro Charging Systems’ battery optimization system (BOS) is a technology that uses active balancing technology to manage batteries wired in series. The use of this system will provide maximum run times and exponentially extend battery life. The available run time for electronics and other powered accessories is dictated by the weakest battery in a series configured battery pack. Other systems that utilize passive balancing techniques drain the strong batteries to match the level of the weakest battery, which only balances batteries and does not increase run time. “The BOS is unique in that it shuttles energy between batteries to ensure equal state of charge before, during, and after charging,” says Alan Tuttle, vice president for product development at Tennesseebased Pro Charging Systems. “This innovation enables maximum performance and run time from the battery system. Depending on battery health and overall condition, the BOS can increase runtimes by 300%-400% compared to a system running without the BOS. The BOS can be bought as a stand-alone unit or incorporated directly into an on-board battery charging system.” The firm says the BOS will actively balance a system of batteries in series, no matter how far out of balance they are to begin with, to a point at which all individual battery voltages are within <= 0.0017 VPC of each other (.010 VDC on 12V scale). Amperage displacements of up to 7.5 amps between batteries are possible.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Using stratification for best purpose Mega Amps
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ega Amps has developed a patented electrolyte manipulation innovation for flooded lead-acid batteries dubbed EQLYTE, (EE-KEWLITE). This is coupled with an intelligent controller that serves to optimize electrochemical hydrodynamics by increasing the availability of reaction constituents and overcoming reaction rate limitations caused by diffusion, migration and geometric hindrances of battery plate design to yield an optimized electrolyte/active-mass interface. The novel electrolyte circulation technology responds to charge versus discharge separately, by means of the sensing controller to perform a quasidosing function. Depositing high density electrolyte, typically settled in the lower regions of the flooded battery as a result of stratification, to directly above the active plates to allow for the more dense electrolyte to gradually settle through the active battery block, causes an increased availability of H2SO4 for the discharge reaction more uniformly across the battery plates.
This ultimately results in more than 25% more discharge capacity gained through improved utilization of the active materials. According to Neill Human, chief technology officer for Mega Amps: “The utilization rate of the active material of typical flooded batteries is governed by a whole host of processes. We know that electrolyte dynamics in current flooded designs have major capacity and life expectancy limitations. “We have found a simple way to integrate a next-level electrolyte management process and mechanism to address some key performance lim-
iting aspects of the flooded battery, where for the very first time, the true utilization of active materials is uniform across the surfaces. “This is a profound statement, because in today’s lead acid batteries, the true depth of discharge of the active mass is an average DoD across the battery plate length, where the actual DoD will range in accordance with electrolyte concentration gradients as a result of stratification. “This is proven by the latest study conducted with the synchrotron use at Argonne National Laboratory in conjunction with Electric Appliance Incorporated.” Using the same principle in reverse for battery recharge, by actually allowing stratification, it now improves battery recharge efficiency and battery longevity by optimizing PbSO4 solubility, where the solubility of PbSO4 is directly correlated to the electrolyte relative density and it is well known that at lower density ranges PbSO4 will be up to three times more soluble than ranges above 1.24 specific gravity, found as we approach higher levels of state-of-charge during battery recharge.
TBS Engineering
Reaping the benefits of better automation
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he TBS Automatic Plate Loader has been developed over the last two years as part of TBS Engineering’s underlying business ethos of creating breakthroughs in manufacturing that, they say, accelerates the genius of their customers. “We’re all aware that the lead battery faces a huge set of challenges in the future,” says Chris Hanes, group director for corporate growth at TBS. “Our response
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to this has been a thoughtful one, we’ve concentrated on delivering better performance … in effect that means greater speed, automation and efficiency and that translates into competitive advantage. “Rather than design products that would need, perhaps, a restructuring of the factory, we look at maximizing the potential of the existing plant and plant space. And this is exactly what our Automatic Plate Loader does.”
The machine has been developed to feed plates into the TBS HiTek enveloping and stacking machines. Two identical robots de-palletize plates, put them through plate shufflers to separate each individual plate and load them on to the TBS HiTek enveloping and stacking machine. One loader handles positive plates, the other, negative ones. The robots also move empty pallets from the loading stack to the empty pallet stack.
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The joys of customization Daramic
M
uch of Daramic’s recent research and testing has focused on improved separator design using different formulations and ribs that improve acid mixing and reduce acid stratification. This in turn reduces water loss and limits grid corrosion. The result has been a range of products such as Duralife, Ricklife and now HiCharge, which are specially designed to operate in specific and sometimes more difficult working conditions. HiCharge is designed for tubular batteries. This separator helps to extend battery life in motive power applications through a special waterloss feature and unique profile design. As motive power batteries experience increased operations in partialstate-of-charge, Daramic HiCharge helps defend against accelerated grid corrosion and acid stratification, thus increasing battery life. It has three particular features that make it stand out: a serrated rib pattern, a closer rib pitch, and a low water loss property. This results in five specific benefits. • Enhanced acid circulation and improved acid mixing (less acid stratification) • Lower acid displacement • Lower water loss • Even plate spacing and no up moving under vibration • Uniform element compression with closer rib pitch. “We’re expanding and improving our product range, gaining from the continued breakthroughs made by our R&D team. Progress continues to bear fruit and it’s a trend that we see accelerating. Most particularly it’s with the improvements we’re making in our RipTide product,” says Dawn Heng, global marketing director for Daramic. “We envisage the partial stage of charge cycle life for a standard SLI and EFB battery to advance from 500 cycles to around 1600 in the next one to two years with our new RipTide product. This will spill over to other separators as time goes by. We’re particularly enthusiastic about the progress we’re seeing with carbon additives.”
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“There’s also a huge range of different applications for batteries in Asia, for example — just think of the range nowadays from two wheelers to cars to trucks to e-rickshaws. “You can’t simply take a template product from the US or Europe and put them as separators in Indian batteries,” he says. “Just think of the different road surfaces in the country, the different driving patterns, the different temperature and climate conditions. Separators play a vital
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part in the cycle life and performance of a battery and in many parts of Asia demands on the battery are very rigorous.”
Power-Sonic
Have lead battery, will travel — to travel
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orking in collaboration with Mobilis TBI, in The Netherlands, Power-Sonic has designed and manufactured a mobile charging station for electric vehicles. It is a completely independent offgrid solution. Mobilis TBI wants to reduce its CO2 footprint and is aiming for an almost entirely electric vehicle fleet by 2025 at the latest. As part of this initiative it began to investigate how it could involve its project locations. Jeroen Ritzer van Dither, sustainability coordinator at Mobilis TBI,
consulted various companies within the market and he was often told, “but” or “we can’t”. Mobilis TBI then contacted Power-Sonic, which rose to the challenge with great enthusiasm. The e-co2tainer (pronounced Ecotainer) is a mobile unit where drivers can charge their electric cars at project locations. The required electricity is generated with solar panels and wind turbines on top of the unit and a generator placed inside the unit, which works exclusively on biofuel.
Wirtz Manufacturing
Recycle batteries in one stop mobile shop
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attery Recycling Systems, one of the Wirtz group of companies, has designed the RTR (Ready To Run) series of equipment for recycling lead-acid batteries, which the company says can arrive on site, pre-assembled and mounted on a skid in a shipping container, can be commissioned for production in less than a day and offers four product separation streams — metallic lead, paste, separators and polypropylene. The RTR can recycle from one tonne and up to 20 tonnes of lead
batteries a day, and is ideal for small recyclers, said vice president for sales and technology Doug Lambert.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Further refinements for a better BMS Abertax
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attery monitoring systems for lead acid batteries have been around for a number of years. Tirelessly gathering important information on the core battery parameters, BMSs give a detailed picture of the state of the battery. The Abertax BMS and e2BMS monitoring systems can identify battery abuse in terms of temperature limits, watering intervals, depth of discharge, voltage imbalances and, by means of clever algorithms, use the sensor data to estimate remaining battery life under the current conditions. Traditionally, such monitoring systems have relied on the use of PCconnected dongles and a PC software package to download and process the data from the devices. These systems work well and have served the industry for many years.
Nowadays, particularly due to the advent of connected things (IOT) and technologies such as industry 4.0, users expect to have data collected automatically, in the background, and have this data accessible at any instant, from anywhere. A cloud-based system is one of the most widely adopted solutions for this. Cloud based means the data is stored on a server, somewhere, and that it is accessible 24/7 through the internet. For the data to reach a cloudbased server where it can be stored, processed, and eventually viewed, it needs a communication path between the BMS collecting the data and the data server. In many cases, lead acid batteries are leased to operators, either as single batteries or as part of an entire vehicle, and the BMS is already installed by the battery owner. Warehouse operators are typically not too keen on allowing
the monitoring system to access the internet via their own infrastructure; another solution is required. To meet all possible solutions, the R&D team at Abertax developed the AMC, the Abertax Master Control system. The AMC is a hardware device combined with powerful software modules that allow multiple configurations, resulting in a flexible system guaranteed to meet any practical scenario. The heart of any data collection system is the database, the place where all the collected data resides. In the AMC, this database can reside: • Directly inside the AMC hardware! (No internet access required!) • On a local server within the company (with or without internet access!) • On a remote server (for example, at a datacentre) • Integrated within a customer’s existing cloud service.
CAM
How to make the perfect lead oxide C AM, the Italian industrial automation engineering company, was nominated for the innovation award on the basis of advances it has made with its CAM MOP 30 ball mill which is capable of making 100% tetragonal leady oxide. There are two basic leady oxides. The first is α-PbO known as litharge. The crystalline shape is tetragonal. This shape is important in the pasting process in defining the output of the finished battery. The colour is red, (but not to be confused with red lead). Then there is β-PbO known as massicot. The crystalline shape is orthorhombic. The colour is yellow. Litharge is considered by the industry to be a better oxide in lead battery manufacturing as the paste adheres perfectly to the grid. (That said massicot is extensively used for all battery types.) The importance of CAM’s work is that their modification of the
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ball mill process allows only a mix of pure lead particles and tetragonal oxides to be created. “CAM MOP ball mills are the only ones that have an internal cooling system using water spray,” says the firm. “This system has been studied in detail: it is controlled by certain process conditions and when the ball mill needs cooling, the nozzles spray molecules of H20. These molecules of H20 are sprayed at a certain pressure inside the mill drum so as to not permit instantaneous contact with the oxide bed. “The water spray cooling system of the CAM ball mills has been patented by CAM and is a fundamental aspect of the CAM Method, which, together with the other aspects such as the lead shaver and the Steam Cure curing chambers, have the purpose of producing lead battery plates with a guarantee of long life and high cranking power. “This is done to control the temperature inside the mill in a direct
manner, so that you never have peaks of temperature which could cause the formation of orthorhombic crystals which are damaging for batteries. This is the only way to achieve 100% tetragonal oxide. Earlier this year leady oxide from its CAM MOP 30 ball mill was tested by the University of L’Aquila’s department of chemical engineering in Italy. The test results showed 87.8% tetragonal litharge [red lead], and 12.1% of [the unoxidized] lead, the firm said. “These results were sensational,” said Francesco Marfisi, electrical manager at CAM at the time. “The first thing that jumped out at us was the complete absence of orthorhombic oxide — this is fantastic because it means that batteries produced with this oxide will be more reliable over time, with consistent performance.” The university testing was done under the auspices of professor Giuliana Taglieri and research fellow Valeria Daniele.
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The hybrid solution for the PESO project MSE International
T
he logic behind a hybrid battery combining lead and lithium is unassailable. It’s potentially a great mix between price and performance. The lead battery is cheaper than the lithium one and can do the heavy lifting in terms of longer term energy requirements but the more expensive lithium does the more sophisticated power requirements such as fast charging in PSOC. The dual-chemistry Gemini battery system for MSE International’s PESO project is designed and supplied by GS Yuasa, a Japanese company specializing in the development and production of lead acid and lithium-ion batteries. Invented by senior technical coordinator Peter Stevenson, the prototype 100kW battery uses lithium-ion for fast response and lead acid for longer duration discharge. While other multi-chemistry batteries need different AC-DC converters for each cell type, the Gemini system uses just one converter for both.
Launched in 2020, MSE’s Port Energy Systems Optimisation (PESO) pilot project aims to enable ports to use smart grid technologies and management software to reduce atmospheric emissions and improve air quality. PESO is designed to eliminate the need for expensive grid upgrades while addressing the growing onshore power demands and the requirements of ships using shore power and electric propulsion. MSE is working to optimize energy utilization across the port, showing how renewable generating capacity, local energy storage and advanced energy management can minimize loading on the grid and maximize the return on investment by the port. “The lead-acid battery provides the bulk of the energy storage capacity for cost-effective harvesting of renewable energy, and the lithiumion battery provides high power discharge capability for EV fast charging. “The lithium-ion also supports the operating condition of the lead-acid
battery to extend life and energy conversion efficiency.” UK-based MSE International specializes in private and publicly funded projects in key areas of socalled ‘Blue Growth’, such as maritime logistics and surveillance, marine energy and the management of ocean resources. UK energy consultancy Swanbarton is aiding the PESO project with a control system that can reduce the peaks in the port’s energy consumption and exploits the on-site solar PV generation to reduce energy costs. The control system selects from millions of possible charge-discharge patterns and forecasts the port’s balance of energy consumption and generation over several days. A cloud server analyses the data from the control system and uses machine learning to create, review and forecast the best action plan for the battery. MSE International hopes this technology can be rolled out across UK ports.
CUSTOMIZED ENERGY SOLUTIONS
Wanted a better charger, better charging regime
T
he product is based on creating a special form of fast-charger suitable for regular lead batteries. CES initiated a project in 2018 to investigate what the new charger’s requirements would be and how to solve them. Commonly used lithium ion three and two wheeler batteries require 2-1/2 to three hours to fully charge. So a lead acid battery can be fast-charged to at least 80% capacity in three to 3-1/2 hours, it will be a strong contender for E Rickshaw operations at a much lower cost. In addition, this charger needs to carry out an ‘opportunity’ super-fast charge in one hour — say during lunch time — to add another 35km to the range of the vehicle. The ordinary E Rickshaw chargers take three to four hours to do the same.
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Lead acid E Rickshaw batteries lose capacity progressively due to the daily-charge-discharge cycle leading to lower range per charge. The battery has to be replaced after nine months to a year. This charger then, should have a service charge facility once in a week, which enhances the capacity and range of the depleted battery and leads to a longer range and life. Any fast and super-fast opportunity charge requires a very high powered charger which will work at the charging station at E Rickshaw roadside stands. Also the cost should be such that, it is recovered by providing charging as a service at rates that allow investment recovery in one year. “The laboratory model with all the required characteristics was
successfully developed by early 2019 and hundreds of life cycle tests were carried out to prove that the charger maintains the batteries healthy at 95% of their original capacity even after 180 cycles,” says CES. “The laboratory model was beta-tested at Rajarhat, Kolkata in the spring of 2019 when more than 40 E Rickshaws were fast charged in seven days to their full satisfaction.” The first production models were fabricated in 2020 and further tested at Baharampur, West Bengal under the banner of Geetanjali Solar Enterprises (the distributors for West Bengal). Here, around 50 E Rickshaws were opportunity charged for one hour at a rate of Rs45 ($0.61) per hour of charge and each of them obtained an extra 30-35km of extra running.
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ACCELERATING TOWARD A BRIGHT FUTURE At ENTEK, we are committed to the innovative force driving the development of new battery technologies. We are investing in the future of the battery industry, and the world, with products developed for sustainable, renewable energy storage applications.
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GNB Exide
HighWater Innovations
A breakthrough for tough, industrial batteries
Tripling power performance through better design
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NB Industrial Power, part of what was then known as Exide Technologies, applied for the BCI Innovation Award on the basis of a new battery that came in two forms: TENSOR is a unique high performance battery and TENSOR xGEL an innovative maintenance-free battery. GNB Industrial Power said the innovative design of this traction battery technology shifts the performance of batteries of this type to a completely new level: “It has more power, is faster at recharging and has a higher efficiency than traditional batteries; meanwhile the gel variant is also maintenance-free.” The TENSOR batteries combine high performance and maximum uptime with long service life and high energy savings. These batteries are designed for all demanding applications in tough industrial environments and allow fast charging, the company says. The TENSOR battery will fully charge in four hours, is capable of intermediate and opportunity charging, can last up to 50% longer than standard batteries in cold environments and performs well at very low temperatures. This makes them ideal for heavyduty trucks, especially those that are operated outdoors throughout the year. The TENSOR xGEL represents a “fusion between high performance TENSOR technology and maintenance free gel technology”. Research on this project was kick-started by attempts to find solutions to some of the challenges faced by batteries operating in tough industrial environments where charge times could be too short and traditional batteries struggled in extreme temperatures and also required regular maintenance.
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H
ighWater Innovations applied for the BCI Innovation Award for the second time in 2018 on the basis that it had developed its invention ‘the GO Battery’. This is a low-aspect ratio, spiral wound battery, which is designed for maximum power and life. It is specifically intended for use in hybrid electric vehicles at a fraction of the cost of current battery technologies such as nickel and lithium chemistries. GO Battery — it stands for Geometrically Optimized — had achieved some 1,000W/kg in power performance by then with a clear development path to more than 1,400W/kg. A conventional lead acid battery delivers some 350W/kg; lithium-ion is now around 1,400W/ kg (but more expensive); the GO Battery is already at 1,000W/kg and improving. “We are close to achieving three times the power of conventional VRLA batteries,” HighWater says. “We are now approaching what is delivered by lithium-ion batteries but at a fraction of the cost. At around $100 per kilowatt hour, we are in a similar price range to any lead acid battery — and that is a tenth of the cost of a lithium-ion product.” The GO cell features a low aspect ratio spiral-wound construction with a stackable pack design. This single cell building block can be used to assemble high voltage batteries of any voltage and offers a wide range of form and fitment to the vehicle designer. The cells are also designed to stack and interlock to form a compact, air-cooled battery pack. The end cells in the pack will be thermally insulated so that all cells will be thermally matched and will therefore operate at the same temperature. The HighWater founders say the battery will produce more power and have an extended operating life compared with other VRLA batteries. Their low aspect ratio
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
grids will increase the overall power capabilities in the HEV application. Meanwhile, its open central core is designed for improved thermal management.
The GO battery is a series of cylindrical two-volt cells with four instead of two current take-off tabs, and a hole in the centre of the cell, through which air can pass. These two-volt cells can be stacked to form strings of any voltage.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
Microporous
Booster mat for increased DCA S eparator product developer Microporous has come up with a dynamic charge acceptance booster for lead batteries that works without changing the negative active material. The firm received an honourable mention in the 2019 innovation awards. The DCA Booster Mat can be bundled with its SLI or industrial separators and is suitable for the growing enhanced flooded battery market. It allows charge acceptance optimization and is suited to High Rate Partial State of Charge requirements for start-stop applications. The firm says this separator component offers excellent charge acceptance in industrial markets such as motive power, where opportunity charging is required. The Booster Mat fits tightly against the negative plate surface to add a powerful three-dimensional buffer layer that shuttles charge to and from the NAM. Initial testing demonstrated a 300% improvement in DCA over the control. Microporous has for years explored ways in which carbon could improve lead acid battery performance and tried to solve some of the problems previous studies had encountered. “We put our concept to work in 2018,” the firm says. “We saw the need for improved DCA in lead batteries and the imminent threat of Li-ion in start-stop vehicles. Previous studies have shown that mixing carbon into the NAM has its drawbacks and we looked for a better solution. “The work had four main aims: to improve the DCA in batteries; to do this without negatively affecting cold cranking amps; to do this with minimal impact on water consumption; and to eliminate the need for special NAM formulations. Improved DCA allows for more efficient opportunity charging, which reduces undercharging and increases cycle life. For EFB battery design, improved DCA removes the phenomenon of battery walk down, which is often seen in automotive batteries used in start-stop operations.
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Narada
A new approach to grid-level frequency regulation
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arada has partnered energy storage operator Upside Group in an innovative frequency regulation project, which represents the first large-scale application of lead carbon batteries in grid-level frequency regulation energy storage systems. This project was given an honourable mention in the 2019 BCI awards. The frequency regulation project was for the German power grid and the installation, at Langenreichenbach, has a planned construction capacity of 75MW. The installed capacity of the first phase of the project is 16.4MW, and the peak energy storage capacity can reach 25MWh. This project consists of 18 containers, and the battery consists of 10,584 units of 1200Ah lead carbon valve regulated cells. It is powered by nine inverters, each of which can provide 1.8 MVA. Narada was one of the pioneers in terms of developing lead carbon battery energy storage systems in energy storage. It says it elected to do this project in Germany because the utilization of renewable energy in the country is one of the most advanced in the world. Its power grid frequency
regulation market is thus a mature power market auxiliary service trading market. The company says its entry to the German energy storage market marks the beginning of Narada’s entry to the global market. The project was driven by the Narada Project Development Team, which was responsible for the finance and development of the entire project. It says it believes that the application of lead carbon batteries in energy storage systems is groundbreaking. “This project is the first large-scale application of lead carbon batteries in grid-level frequency regulation energy storage systems, and is of exemplary significance worldwide,” the company said. “In mitigating the power consumption of the local power grid, it adjusts grid balance, saves energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. And it provides electricity for local residents.” The company said the project will help Narada better understand this sector. It now wants to be heavily involved in the storage market of frequency regulation to promote energy storage systems throughout Germany and then Europe.
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Philadelphia Scientific
Doubling the capacity of battery charging rooms
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hiladelphia Scientific has developed a ‘charger splitter’ capable of doubling the capacity of a typical battery room, offering a much better return on investment in the process. Philadelphia Scientific’s iBOS Charger-Splitter is used in tandem with the iBOS [Intelligent Battery Organizing System] battery room management system, effectively using one charger to charge multiple batteries, and increasing the charging capacity of a battery room. The Charger-Splitters are installed on conventional battery charging systems and when a battery is charged, a flashing LED alerts operators to disconnect it and plug it in to an uncharged battery. This enables the sequential charging of two batteries with one charger. One of the biggest investments in a battery room is the cost of the chargers. They are an essential piece of equipment but are only used an average of 22% of the time. The iBOS Charger-Splitter makes it possible to utilize unused charger capacity and halve the number of chargers needed to charge a battery fleet. The company estimates that for sites
iBOS 2 — Battery Management System (below). Philadelphia Scientific charger-splitter (right)
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with 20 chargers or more, it will more than pay for the entire iBOS system with money left over. Alerts are displayed on the remote operations display to ensure the switch gets done and reports on the iBOSWorld website track user performance using the system. In some cases, Charger-Splitters will enable battery room managers to reduce the number of chargers used by a third to a half, the company estimates. For the average battery room, that’s an annual saving of tens of thousands of dollars. It estimates that warehouses and DCs that are planning a new battery room can achieve 50% savings on charger purchases because they will require only one charger for every two batteries, not one charger per battery. For battery rooms that must increase capacity by purchasing more batteries or trucks, half the number of chargers will be required than if Charger-Splitters are not being used. Charger-Splitters also provide an ideal solution when managers do not want to install costly extra power infrastructure to support additional chargers in a battery changing area.
Power Sonic
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The joys of smart grid management
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ower Sonic’s DRM (demand response module) is an innovative energy storage system suitable for the smart management of medium and high voltage electrical grids. It was nominated for the innovation award in 2019. The firm said: “Our DRM system enables fast response times to variations in demand and supply, helping maintain grid stability and ensuring reliable, high-quality energy supply response through a range of applications. “Based on current demand side response markets the DRM would pay for itself after four years. This is down to the speed in which it can respond to demand signals from the grid. With different financial models available including leasing and the ability to generate revenue from day one tied into long-term contracts with the grid, the DRM doesn’t just offer an innovative solution for energy storage but also a great investment as a stand-alone asset. “Power-Sonic is capable of managing the energy to meet all demands according to the requirements set by the utility provider.” The applications supported by the system include emergency backup in the event of a power interruption; with micro grids, a localized grid that can operate independently; renewable energy, the system facilitating seamless integration with renewable power generation sources; and reserve capacity, the DRM system providing power and energy capacity to the power grid as a stand-alone asset. Other challenges it can address include peak shaving, frequency regulation, load levelling, renewables capacity firming and power quality, resulting in less energy consumption, more grid resilience, better power quality, monetary savings and income generation. The company says it can stabilize the grid to manage the consumption and production of renewable energy.
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COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW Remy Battery
The return of packaging for dry charged lead acid
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ing battery electrolyte has become increasingly difficult for the distributor and consumer. The FreshStart solution solves this problem by packaging individual limited required cell volumes of electrolyte in high density polypropylene containers with the dry charged battery.” By packaging individual cell quantities of electrolyte it solves the problem of the consumer having to search locally for a source for electrolyte and also provides the exact amount of electrolyte needed for each cell, no overfilling or under filling of cells, which will help extend the life of the battery once activated. The background for this work was the result of a US government contract, which Remy Battery was awarded, which required the development of a larger dry charged commercial battery where each individual dry
charged battery had to be shipped with the exact amount of electrolyte in a secure, durable performance shipping container.
Terrapure
the early steps in the process is battery breaking, which involves disintegrating the batteries mechanically so the acid can drain out. This is normally a reliable and safe process; however, problems can occur when batteries other than LABs accidentally enter the process. The biggest risk is from lithium-ion batteries. Upon entering the breaking process,
they can explode in contact with the acid, causing damage to equipment and exposing plant personnel to potential harm. Separating LIBs from LABs is a challenging task as they often look identical or very similar. BCI has been at the forefront of campaigning for standard packaging detailing which batteries are which. “The LAB recycling industry has proposed several ideas to identify LIBs but all require tagging or colour coding LIBs at their point of manufacture. Getting all LIB makers around the world to agree to modify their designs at additional cost will be difficult if not impossible. In addition, none of these solutions applies to the countless LIBs already in use,” he says. Work on the LI Detector started in 2017 with the first commercial tests happening in September 2018. Terrapure has several handheld functioning prototypes. “This is a huge safety advance for the industry with the capability to protect people as well as equipment from explosions and fires,” the firm says.
emy Battery applied for the BCI Innovation Award in 2017 on the basis of its FreshStart packaging solution for utility, automotive and commercial dry charged lead acid batteries. The company says its solution solves a problem for a useful and age old product — how to activate a dry charged battery with the proper amount of electrolyte. The firm says there is still a market for dry charged lead-acid batteries, which have significantly longer shelf life than traditional wet lead acid or AGM batteries. These dry charged batteries meet a current niche where a battery may not be put into service within the first three to 12 months of the battery’s production date. “Increasingly, the challenge for dry charged batteries has been sourcing the battery electrolyte to activate these batteries,” the firm says. “With increased shipping and environmental regulations over the past decade, securing and stor-
Solving lithium ion dangers in the recycling process
T
errapure has developed a product to detect and remove lithiumion batteries from the lead recycling stream, an innovation that has important implications for the sector given the significant safety risks posed by lithium-ion batteries mistakenly ending up in the lead recycling process. It was nominated for the BCI award in 2019 and 2018. Called the Li-ion detector, or LI Detector, it uses high-frequency radio waves to detect lithium batteries by scanning for their unique charging and protection circuitry. If detected, they can be easily removed by hand or automatically. More than one million tonnes of lead acid batteries are recycled every year in North America alone. One of
102 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
Terrapure LI detector
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UK Powertech
Uniseg Products
Improving battery formation through better connectivity
Better ULAB transportation for safer, more efficient recycling
U
K PowerTech applied for the BCI Innovation Award in 2018 on the basis of both design and an improvement to the manufacturing process for batteries. Increasingly, battery makers have been pushing the limits in terms of how quickly they can charge a battery post manufacturing. Formation times have dropped from 24 to six hours for SLI batteries due to advances in formation cooling technology, acid recirculation and switch-mode pulsing rectifiers. But the resulting fourfold increase in charging currents has exposed an inherent weakness in the connections between the batteries in the formation circuits. This is the high resistance interface between the connector head and the battery terminal. This resistance has several causes including a barrier layer on the connector head surface resulting from the hostile environment of the formation department; a reduced contact area from poorly fitted connectors due to the difficulty of making and then removing around 3,000 connectors per man in a single shift; heat generated during formation from high resistance joints; and connector damage due to battery terminals being occasionally incorrectly manufactured, plus electrical arcing from damaged or loose connectors. Since average SLI formation currents have increased from 15 to 60+ amps, the damage to batteries and the likelihood of formation room fires has increased. UK PowerTech developed a blueprint for changes to working practices to ensure that connectors are fitted correctly and maintained and cleaned better. The firm also developed a new type of connector. The UK Powertech P type connector is designed to alleviate all of the problems with the standard design. The design uses a split spring design head, which will mould around the battery terminal even if placed unevenly. This design does not provide a resistance fit as typified by standard push fit connectors. It is easily removed by an operator, and there is no incentive to loosely fit connectors.
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U
NISEG Products applied for the BCI Innovation Award in 2018 on the basis of its Battery Transport & Storage (BTS) container, which brings many benefits to the recycling process including better safety, increased efficiency, better compliancy and improved data transparency on what has been collected and when. The technology will reduce the amount of battery acid leaking into the environment, improve public safety, eliminate unnecessary double handling of batteries, protect workers from being exposed to acid burns and lead contamination — and also save money. The BTS container allows the batteries to be ergonomically loaded into a pallet while the rear, left and right hand panels help keep the batteries in place. When the container is full of batteries it can be closed and secured. One fundamental difference of the BTS container as a replacement for a conventional wooden pallet is that it entails operating a closed loop container pool. After the containers are emptied at the reprocessing plants, they are collapsed and returned. An independent costing by Fleetrak Consulting demonstrated that despite the additional costs of washing and returning the BTS
1 02 S - 2 EE 16 IN 20 OM N
COVER STORY: INNOVATION: TRAILBLAZERS FOR TOMORROW
containers, on average there is a saving of A$21 ($16) per tonne of batteries transported.
The BTS container allows the batteries to be ergonomically loaded into a pallet while the rear, left and right hand panels help keep the batteries in place. When the container is full of batteries it can be closed and secured.
Voltific
Universal battery sizing becomes a software reality
V
OLTiFiC Technology applied for the innovation award in 2019, having developed a universal battery sizing software that allows for the faster, more efficient and more accurate sizing of batteries. It can also be accessed through the internet. The VOLTiFiC cloud platform is designed to allow anyone to size or
service industrial batteries regardless of technology, manufacturer, chemistry or application. A typical battery sizing software from a manufacturer can produce between five and 20 battery system designs within 20% of the requirements,” says the firm. “Compare that to hundreds of solutions that VOLTiFiC can generate within 5% of the requirements. The software adheres to international battery standards and allows for deep analysis of battery performance.”
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 103
ANALYSIS
Why Automotive Lithium-Ion Batteries Need Peak Power Capability Testing Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in many fields with their advantages of high voltage, low self-discharge and long cycle life. Especially high specific energy battery materials make them the most promising candidates for electric vehicles (EV). In automotive applications, the Battery Management System (BMS) is critical important to maintain best battery performance and correspondingly extend its lifespan. An excellent BMS must have the ability to estimate the State of Charge (SoC) or the State of Health (SoH), which has been widely discussed. Accurate State of Available Power (SoAP) estimation Figure (1) Hybrid Pulse Power Characteristic (HPPC) Current Profile is also one of the most challenging tasks in practical applications, as it is necessary to determine the currently available power to the low and high SoC ranges. Thus, to evaluate the peak meet EV acceleration, regenerative braking and gradient power capability of automotive lithium-ion batteries under climbing power requirements without having to worry different aging conditions is a very important engineering about the battery being operated outside the safe operating task. area make it over-charging or over-discharging to shorten Chroma has developed a solution that meets the peak the battery lifespan. power capability test of Li-ion batteries. Chroma 17010H A common method to evaluate the peak power capability battery reliability test system has the ability to short of automotive batteries is the Hybrid Pulse Power duration output 200% pulse current, providing another Characterization (HPPC) proposed by the Idaho National cost-effective option for its testing. The following are the Engineering & Environmental Laboratory, which is the characteristics of Chroma17010H test solution: most advanced method [1], shown in Figure (1) is used to 1. The test channel can output 200% pulse current for determine the static peak power of batteries in a laboratory 30 sec, and output up to 4800A in parallel. environment. This method is to apply a maximum pulse 2. The Battery LEx test software can help the current and a specific rest time to the battery in a specific experimenter to edit the HPPC and complete the SoC, and identify the battery open circuit voltage and battery internal resistance calculation and open direct current internal resistance by measuring the current circuit voltage recording through the software, saving and voltage data. The exact maximum discharge and considerable analysis time. regeneration available peak power is then derived from the 3. Fast current response capability <1.5mS and zero following equation: crossover time, it provides more realistic pulse test applications. OCV dis -V min_pulse 4. Multiple current range design to improve the accuracy Discharge Pulse Power Capability = V min_pulse ∙ (1) Rdis of small current, the minimum current range is 1:10, and both high and low rate performance tests have V max_puls -OCV regen suitable ranges. Regen Pulse Power Capability = V max_pulse ∙ (2) R_regen 5. Discharge energy recycling efficiency of 75%, it not only saves operating power and waste heat air In practical application, the power fade occurs during the conditioning, but also reduces laboratory power battery life that is the internal resistance of the battery is distribution capacity. increased and it will limit the vehicle to input or output 6. In addition to the built-in voltage upper and lower the maximum current capability of battery. Therefore, the limit protection function, it also has an independent internal resistance of the battery is regarded as an important hardware second level voltage protection function, aging indicator of the battery power supply capability. which can redundantly protect the safety of the DUT When the internal resistance of the battery reaches a preduring the test. defined upper limit, that is, the nominal end of life (EoL) Reference: value of the battery is reached, the vehicle may not be able [1] Battery Test Manual for Electric Vehicles, U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle to obtain proper discharge or charge power respectively in Technologies Program, Revision 3.1, 2020.
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Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 105
LIST OF ADVERTISERS
Our advertisers enjoy their elite status with us! Join them! Company
Page number
Abertax
39
Accurate Products
65
Advanced Battery Concepts
69
Atomized Products
73
Batek Makina
50
Battery Show Europe
107
BFS
82
CAM srl
16
Cellusuede
8
Chroma ATE
104
Dalton Engineering
33
Dross Engineering
19, 26
Eagle
10
ees South America
111
Entek
98
European Lead Battery Conference
109
Farmer Mold & Machine Works
IBC
Froetek
118
HADI Offerman
86,87
Hammond Group, Inc
IFC
IKA Works
37
Inbatec
48,49
International Flow Battery Forum
113
Kallstrom MAC Engineering
29, 45 83, OBC
Maccor
3
Mettler Toledo
84, 85
Novanta Photonics
37
O.M.Impianti
14,15
Penox Group
8
Sasha’s International, Inc
46
Sorfin Yoshimura
41
STC
47
STTS Brazing Solutions
71
Wirtz
22, 23
Zesar
62
Contact Karen Hampton: karen@batteriesinternational.com or call +44 7792 852337
106 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
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28-30 June, 2022 I Stuttgart, Germany
Stay connected with the advanced battery and H/EV technology community
6,000+ 480+ Attendees
Exhibitors
70+ Speakers
Join Engineers, R&D leads, and Executives to: Source the latest technology and industry solutions Network with peers at the industry’s leading trade event Learn from thought leaders at expert-led educational sessions
For more information, visit: thebatteryshow.eu
FORTHCOMING EVENTS While we have taken every effort to ensure these details are correct, please contact the conference organizers with any queries, or check websites below and throughout the listings for any amendments to the programme. Advanced Automotive Battery Conference Europe — AABC Europe
Battery India
SPARK
June 20 – 22 Bengalaru, India
June 21 – 22 London, UK
June 13 – 15 Mainz, Germany
Battery India will bring together from all of the world leading battery manufacturers interested in technology and business cooperation, battery equipment and component manufacturers, experts in waste management and in environmentally sound technologies for the recycling of batteries.
SPARK will be the meeting place for innovators and leaders in the energy sector to shape the future of the energy transition. SPARK will bring together 350 senior speakers and thousands of attendees from across Europe. If you are a utility, DSO, TSO, power developer, end user, transport operator, or solution provider – this is the show for you.
Make plans to participate at the European AABC event where chief battery technologists from major European automakers will present their development trends and projected battery needs, and their key suppliers will share their latest offerings and roadmaps for the future. Contact Cambridge Enertech E: ce@cambridgeenertech.com www.advancedautobat.com/europe
Contact Battery and Recycling Foundation International E: info@bfi.org.in www.bfi.org.in
Contact Terrapinn www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/spark
Eurobat General Assembly
SAVE THE DATE!
European Lead Battery Conference September 6 – 9 • Lyon, France ElBC is set to be the biggest lead battery innovation event yet in 2022, with a packed programme including new market insights, energy storage systems, automotive battery updates and the latest in research and technical innovations. Exhibit at the ELBC and join the largest global gathering of lead battery experts, with more than 1000 attendees expected from across the lead battery industry.
June 23 – 24 Brussels, Belgium After an absence of two years, EUROBAT is thrilled to move back to an “in person” Forum event! The EUROBAT Forum is the annual event of our association, where we host more than 100 key stakeholders, including senior executives from the battery industry, policy-makers, NGO representatives and other stakeholders. The European battery industry finds itself today at a critical crossroads. Key EU legislative files are currently being debated, including the European Commission’s proposal for a Batteries Regulation. At the same time, there are other Green Deal policies on the table, such as the Waste Shipment Regulation and the Industrial Emissions Directive, among others. These files will drive our industry in terms of energy efficiency, sustainability and decarbonisation, while we develop further the industrial eco-system of automotive and industrial batteries in Europe. These developments also come at a time when Europe and the European industry have to deal with the impact of the Russian war against Ukraine. Will this have an impact on the roll-out of the Green Deal? What will it mean for energy security in the EU? Could it jeopardise the supply of battery raw materials? These and other questions will be answered in Brussels on 24 June during our 3 expert sessions on State of the Industry, Sustainability and Raw Materials and Innovation!
Contact: International Lead Association • E: elbcexpo@ila-lead.org • www.elbcexpo.org
108 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
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ELBC: The Global Lead Battery Innovation Conference & Expo
Join us in Lyon, France, 6-9 September 2022 for the latest in lead battery research, technical innovation and market insight. Registration and expo open
Up to 1000 attendees 50+ presentations Up to 120 exhibitors
co-organised by
FORTHCOMING EVENTS European Fuel Cell Forum July 5 – 8 Lucerne, Switzerland
International Flow Battery Forum June 27 – 29 Brussels, Belgium The International Flow Battery Forum (IFBF) promotes flow batteries as a crucial technology within the electrical energy storage sector. We believe this is timely and relevant; there is a real need to educate and inform a wide audience of the attributes, features and benefits of flow batteries. The International Flow Battery Forum is the major international conference covering all aspects of flow battery research, development, technology, manufacturing and commercialization. Contact The International Flow Battery Forum E: info@flowbatteryforum www.flowbatteryforum.com
The Battery Show Europe June 28 – 30 Stuttgart, Germany Join the leading meeting place for the advanced battery and H/EV technology community. Meet manufacturers, suppliers, engineers, thought leaders and decision-makers for a conference and trade fair focused on the latest developments in the advanced battery and automotive industries. Contact Informa Markets E: thebatteryshowcs@informa.com www.thebatteryshow.eu/en/Home.html
Battery Cells & Systems Expo and Conference June 29 – 30 Birmingham, UK Battery Cells & Systems Expo will bring together automotive manufacturers, electric utilities, battery system integrators, cell manufacturers and the entire manufacturing supply chain. A truly unique showcase, companies from around the world will use the show to launch products and demonstrate their technology to an audience of over 4,000 professionals. Contact Event Partners www.batterysystemsexpo.com
110 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
The 15th EUROPEAN SOFC & SOE FORUM addresses issues of science, engineering, materials, systems, applications and markets for all types of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), Solid Oxide Electrolysers (SOE) and Solid Oxide Electrochemical Reactors. Additionally the more and more established issue of CO2 emission reduction and reuse is addressed as well. The Forum is the largest international meeting on Solid Oxide Technologies building the bridge from science to application. Business opportunities will be identified for manufacturers, industry, operators and investors. Contact EFCF www.efcf.com
International Automotive Recycling Congress — IARC July 5 – 7 Basel, Switzerland IARC 2022 is the international platform for discussing the latest developments and challenges in automotive recycling, bringing together more than 250 decision-makers in the ELV recycling chain such as car manufacturers, metal and plastic scrap traders, recyclers, shredder operators, policy-makers and many more. Contact ICM AG www.icm.ch/iarc-2022
Future Energy Asia July 20 – 22 Bangkok, Thailand The exhibition and summit will convene Energy Ministers, Policy Makers, Energy Majors including NOCs and IOCS, Power Generation authorities, midstream gas and LNG players, EPCs and Project Consultants and renewable energy developers. The conference will advance innovation and collaboration with the participation of key energy stakeholders, project developers, policy makers and Ministers. Participate in Future Energy Asia for direct access to top-level networking events and multi-billion dollar project investment. Contact DMG Events E: info@futureenergyasia.com
World Battery Industry Expo August 9 - 10 Guanghzhou, China Committed to promoting global market trade and battery industrial chain, WBE has developed into a professional exhibition with the largest number of exhibitors in battery enterprises and the highest participation of professional visitors and foreign buyers. Relying on its worldwide influence and thousands of overseas buyers, WBE provides exhibitors with high-quality buyers resources to help enterprises get more business opportunities. Contact Guangdong Grandeur International Exhibition Group E: grand@grahw.com www.battery-expo.com
PlugVolt Battery Seminar July 12 – 14 Plymouth, MI. USA Day 1 of 2022 event will feature multiple technical tutorials presented by industry subject matter experts and world renowned professors from Top 50 US universities, followed by Days 2 and 3 focusing exclusively on Automotive and Stationary/Grid storage applications respectively. Day 2 will also offer attendees an opportunity to tour INTERTEK battery test labs, and participate in an evening reception for industry networking. Contact PlugVolt JC Soman E: juratesoman@plugvolt.com www.plugvolt.com/seminars/
Guanghzhou, China
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THE LINK BETWEEN STORAGE AND PV South America’s Hot Spot for Batteries and Energy Storage Systems EXPO CENTER NORTE, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Oslo, Norway
Oslo Battery Days
ees South America
Intersolar Mexico
August 22 – 23 Oslo, Norway
August 23 – 25 Sao Paulo, Brazil
September 6 – 8 Mexico City, Mexico
The 4th OBD Battery Conference will meet to discuss and provide a platform for technological innovations and business opportunities with the latest updates in that fields in Norway and abroad. The conference is held every second year and is the leading Battery conference in Norway, bringing together participants from leading private and public companies, start-ups, investors, academics and businesses that are interested in the battery revolution.
The special exhibition “ees South America” is the industry hotspot for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and users of stationary and mobile electrical energy storage solutions. Covering the entire value chain of innovative battery and energy storage technologies – from components and production to specific user application - it is the ideal platform for all stakeholders in the rapidly growing energy storage market. The focus at ees is on energy storage solutions suited to energy systems with increasing amounts of renewable energy sources attracting investors, utilities, installers, manufacturers and project developers from all over the world.
Intersolar Mexico serves as the industry’s go-to source for invaluable technology trends and premier B2B contacts in the promising Mexican solar market. Representatives of leading companies and organizations in the solar market will comment on the development and prospects of both the solar thermal and photovoltaic sectors. Among the topics to be addressed are: project financing, energy storage, business models and innovations in distributed solar generation, the regulatory situation, decarbonization in the industrial sector.
Contact Schive AS Erik Schwings Hagelien Tel: +47 90 73 91 59 E: post@schive.no www.oslobatterydays.com
The Solar Show Africa August 23 – 24 Johannesburg, Africa
Contact Solar Promotion www.intersolar.net.br/home
As Africa’s’ largest energy conference & exhibition, The Solar Show Africa brings together government ministries, utilities, power producers, municipalities, regulators, large energy users, project developers, investors and solution providers to allow new business opportunities and valuable connections to be made. For 23 years, delegates have flocked to the conference to gain first-hand knowledge on upcoming projects, investment opportunities and innovations across the continent that will help utilities deliver energy.
PCIM Asia
Contact Terrapinn www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/solar-showafrica/index.stm
Contact Messe Frankfurt www.pcimasia-expo.cn.messefrankfurt. com/shanghai/en.html
112 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
Contact Solar Promotion www.intersolar.mx
August 31 – September 2 Shanghai, China PCIM Asia offers a chance to see the latest developments in power electronics components and systems. The strong link between conference and exhibition guarantees the high quality of the show. This unique combination fosters the fast and easy exchange between industry and science, for which PCIM Asia is famous.
Mexico City, Mexico
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The International Flow Battery Forum
In association with
TM
IFBF 2022 ®
28 & 29 June Brussels, Belgium Join our international conference on flow batteries:- covering applications, commercialisation, manufacturing, and research & development. “Great place to understand the commercial evolution of flow batteries” “An exciting opportunity for industry to showcase the business to potential clients“
Registration now open
“Valuable networking and great engagement from leading experts in the industrys” “Exciting insight to battery installations, new markets and flow battery technologies” “The variety of high quality presentations from industry and research led to interesting and important discussions” “The IFBF is unique” www.flowbatteryforum.com info@flowbatteryforum.com
TM
FORTHCOMING EVENTS The Battery Show North America
Batteries Event October 18 – 21 Lyon, France
September 13 – 15 Novi, MI. USA The Battery Show brings together engineers, business leaders, top-industry companies, and innovative thinkers to discover ground-breaking products and create powerful solutions for the future. From raw materials to components, find what you need to power your next project. Contact Informa Markets www.thebatteryshow.com
Lyon, France
Expo for Decarbonised Industries
International Congress for Battery Recycling — ICBR
September 20 – 22 Düsseldorf, Germany
September 14 – 16 Salzburg, Austria
Messe Düsseldorf’s program includes the world’s leading trade shows for the energy-intensive industries of glass, plastics and metals. The network of these three events already offers great potential for target-group-specific visitor promotion for decarbXpo: it comprises around 7,000 exhibitors and 339,000 visitors. New business potential and high-class decision-maker networking around three megatrends of the energy transition: Decarbonization, energy storage and hydrogen.
ICBR 2022 is the international platform for reviewing the challenges faced by the Battery Recycling Industry on a global basis. For 26 consecutive years, ICBR has brought together the international community of experts and decision makers of the entire Battery Recycling value chain, including battery recyclers and manufacturers, collection organizations, OEM’s, policymakers, materials and services providers and many more. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to get valuable industry insights and engage in the most inspiring discussions and unrivalled networking opportunities amongst the leading experts in the field of battery recycling! Contact ICM AG E: info@icm.ch https://events.icm.ch/event/0ed92807-fd1d452a-8d20-d24ba90095aa/summary
Contact Messe Dusseldorf www.decarbxpo.com
Automotive Supplier Summit October 10 Wolfsburg, Germany Meet the key players of the automotive industry at the B2B Management Conference with accompanying exhibition in Wolfsburg - the home of the worlds biggest Automotive OEM. Discuss the current challenges of the automotive industry and the future of the automotive supply chain industry. Take the chance to connect with experts and executives at B2B meetings, and in the exclusive tradeshow that accompanies the summit. The Automotive Supplier Summit @ IZB2022 will take place as a hybrid event, both in Wolfsburg and online. Contact IPM AG www.automotivesuppliersummit.com
Salzburg, Austria
114 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
Wolfsburg, Germany
Batteries 2022 will cover all aspects of the battery circular economy, beginning from the production of the battery through raw materials, battery manufacturing, battery use and safety, management and applications, going through market trends, research and development, new technologies and finally closing the loop with a focus on recycling, second life and regulations. Contact Avicenne Energy • www.batteriesevent.com
Future Battery Forum November 3 – 4 Berlin, Germany The management conference brings together the entire value system of battery technologies: Across various industries more than 300 users, battery system and cell manufacturers and their suppliers will spend two days exchanging information, making new contacts and enriching each other. Contact IPM AG • www.futurebattery.eu
Global Automotive Components and Suppliers Expo November 8 – 10 Stuttgart, Germany Tier 1, 2 and 3 automotive component manufacturers from around the world will be at the expo to display their very latest technologies and products. Plus numerous other exhibitors will be on hand to discuss how they can participate in cost reduction within supply chains, and how they can offer new, alternative, cost-effective manufacturing and supply solutions. Furthermore, international associations, pavilions and specialist components manufacturers will be participating from the Middle East, Asia, the Americas and Europe, so this is a truly global supplier-sourcing opportunity in one compact location. Contact UKi Media & Events www.globalautomotivecomponentsandsuppliersexpo.com/en/
Stuttgart, Germany
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VIEWPOINT: STRYTEN ENERGY Inflation and other factors are contributing to price increases for manufactured goods writes Jeremy Furr for Stryten Energy.
How commodity price hikes will spill over to the manufacturing sector Costs are rising everywhere — from the gas pump to the grocery store. The annual inflation rate in the US as defined by the Consumer Price Index, is at 7.9%. This is the highest since January 1982. Many expect price increases to correspond with inflation, but there are many different factors that contribute to the price you pay. Commodities typically respond to changes between import prices and the US dollar. Commodity prices are also susceptible to natural disasters that don’t necessarily correspond to inflation. The pandemic led to widespread supply chain disruptions, as well as product and labour shortages. In addition, last year’s hurricane season was the third most active year, causing more than $80 billion of damage. Commodity prices greatly impact manufacturing costs. For many companies, increasing their prices is not about increasing profit margins. It is simply the unfortunate fact that they cannot absorb the increases and continue to stay in business. Supply constraints When supply cannot meet demand, price increases typically follow. The lead battery industry competes with a wide variety of other sectors for component materials. The electrolyte, a mixture of water and sulfuric acid, is a key component of a lead battery. The cost of sulfuric acid has risen over 38% in the past 12 months. While commonly used in the industrial sector, sulfuric acid is also important in the agricultural sector. The fertilizer industry accounted for more than 60% of total global consumption in 2020. The US is the second-largest producer of sulfur, generating approximately 8.1 million tonnes annually. In normal times, there is plenty for both industries. Today, sulfuric acid is heavily in demand and harder to come by. Costs of metals have also increased significantly. In lead batteries, tin and antimony are commonly used for mechanical strength and to improve electrical properties. Steel is used for the casing of industrial batteries.
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In 2018, tariffs caused steel prices to jump from $0.30/lb to $0.48/lb, and then with the pandemic prices topped out at $1.25/lb. While prices have since come down, it is important to note there was no shortage back in 2018, and it still took 18 months for prices to decrease. It may take as long as two to three years with no further disruptions to continue that downward trend. Other events such as foreign wars could have an impact on this outlook as the government could allocate steel to the defence industry or supply chains could be further disrupted. Materials shortages Several other raw materials are also in short supply. Polypropylene is the second-most widely produced commodity plastic, used in manufacturing automotive components, packaging and labelling, medical devices, construction, and more. The lead battery industry utilizes poly resin in the casing and covers for automotive batteries. A number of factors have led to supply shortages of poly. As a petroleum-based product, supply is dependent on the oil industry. Shortages are primarily due to how that industry allocates resources — to gas, poly or other petroleum-based products. Scaling back on oil production affects the price at the pump, but also any company that uses poly resin. Lead is also in short supply, even though lead batteries are one of the most recycled consumer products. The shortage is primarily due to a deficit between recycling facility capacities and overall demand. US battery man-
ufacturers source about 73% of the needed lead from domestic lead battery recycling. Over the past 12 to 15 years, environmental restrictions have led to many companies closing facilities, leading to a significant shortage in capacity. The market has not been able to recoup from these shortages from other, costeffective sources. The decrease in battery recycling facilities also impacts the supply of polypropylene. In addition to lead, battery recycling facilities also collect the plastic from the casings. The crushed poly is washed, dried and sent to plastic recycling facilities. After additional processing, plastic pellets are sold to manufacturers of battery cases. Without the first stop at the battery recycler, there is no plastic for the next round of recycling. Labour costs There are also higher non-material costs that impact pricing. Diesel fuel costs are up 77% over the past two years, resulting in higher freight expenses. Utilities are also higher, which impacts the facilities. Rates are up about 30%-40%, and those costs are also being passed along. Labour costs are also a factor. While industry recouped over 60% of the 1.4 million manufacturing jobs lost during the pandemic, the remaining 570,000 were still unfilled by the end of 2020. Companies report that finding and retaining quality talent is a top challenge. The skills gap in manufacturing could lead to over 2 million unfilled jobs in the US by 2030. This drives more competition and higher wages for skilled workers.
A BUMPY ROAD AHEAD
Jeremy Furr: vice president of strategic sourcing for Stryten Energy
The Federal Reserve has increased interest rates for the first time in three years in an effort to combat inflation. As pandemic conditions continue to ease, supply chain pressure may also ease. However, with the early forecast for the 2022 hurricane season having a 65% chance of aboveaverage activity and almost 80% of manufacturers expecting to have difficulty in hiring and retaining employees, the road ahead may be a bumpy one.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 115
EVENT REVIEW: BCI CONVENTION This May’s annual BCI Convention and Power Mart in Naples, Florida was regarded as one of the most successful in recent years.
An underpinning of excitement “This has clearly been the best BCI I’ve attended in — at least — the past 10 years! The content has been superb and there’s a different mood in the air to doing business.” This was all the more surprising a statement to hear from a delegate given that the annual convention is most frequently a forum for general moaning about anything and everything. And never just about the convention. But it was clear from the opening address by Chris Pruitt, head of the BCI and CEO of East Penn that he was expressing a general feeling of optimism coming from a mixture of fronts. The first, and most obvious one, was the general sense of relief that the pandemic was over and it was back to business as normal. “The past year was a year of recovery … our industry
has fared better than most thanks in large part to our strong domestic manufacturing base and our strong domestic supply chain,” he said, But it was Pruitt’s remarks about BCI’s Energy Storage Systems Initiative (ESSI) that attracted the most attention. He talked about an industry first with the Lead Battery Research Technical Advisory Group meeting jointly hosted by Argonne National Laboratory, the Department of Energy, BCI and attended by 20 industry companies. Attendees met to help DOE assess the technical innovations on the horizon that have the potential to revolutionize lead batteries “When you’ve got Argonne and the Department of Energy wanting to talk to us and suggesting programs that they would like to participate in with us, you can sense a sea-change in the energy storage environment,” one attendee told Batteries International. “The federal government finally seems to be taking the lead battery business seriously. The presentations on the third day showed exactly how far we had come … and to be frank how much further we still have to go.” BCI is the leading voice on leadrelated regulatory efforts at the EPA and OSHA and their state counterparts, Pruitt said. “Last year, BCI was in discussion with EPA officials across the alphabet soup of agencies to address air quality, emissions and pollution control standards, chemical reporting,
CHARITY FOR UKRAINE
The traditional Sunday night reception before the early morning start
116 • Batteries International • Spring 2022
One relatively unknown aspect of how the BCI community works can be found in the way that member bodies have reacted to the unfolding catastrophe in Ukraine. “It is worth everyone knowing,” said Pruitt, “that BCI members have contributed some $430,000 to a variety of charities supporting the country.”
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EVENT REVIEW: BCI CONVENTION
Women in the global battery industry forge ahead Julie McClure chair of MAC Engineering and president of the WGBI, revealed on the opening morning of the convention, details of the newly formed group in an introduction ahead of announcing Gina Radke, as a keynote speaker for the morning session. The WGBI was launched in January as a global organization to promote and develop the growth of women professionals in the battery industry. WGBI has grown to include 168 professional members and seven academic members. Of these, 75 participated in the first webinar, featuring a presentation from Nancy Martin, NRM Consulting on career development. This was the first of a quarterly webinar series that will continue through this year. McClure invited WGBI members to join a closed LinkedIn group dedicated to connecting women in the industry for networking and sharing best practices. The first informal discussion was held on April 8 with 51 participants and featured testing, and record keeping, just to name a few of the topics that are important to our industry,” he said. “Three of the most significant regulatory regimes at EPA and OSHA for the lead battery are currently under active review. Any one of these programs could have a significant impact on our industry and BCI is working hard to ensure that any new rules are based on sound science and are updated in a rational way while ensuring our workers and communities are properly protected from harmful exposures.” Pruitt later said that the Council was pushing ahead for yet tighter blood levels for the industry. “We want to reach a maximum universal 20mdmg of lead in workers by 2025,” he said. “You only have to compare this level with the OSHA recommendation of 50mdmg to see how powerful a lead we are taking.” There was the sense that the recent campaigning by the BCI had really started to pay off in a variety of directions — a theme that Roger Miksad, executive vice president of BCI also elaborated on in the side panel next to this.
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an article from Kelly Shue of Yale University on promoting women and recognizing their potential. Later this year, WGBI will be launching mentoring programs for both professional members and STEM students in an effort to develop its community of leaders. In a bid to emphasize STEM education programming, WGBI also sponsored two university students from Florida State University to attend this year’s convention to provide leaders of the future exposure to the opportunities available in the battery industry.
“The success of the launch of WGBI has truly been a testament to the commitment of our female leaders in the industry. We couldn’t have done it without your support,” McClure said. The first WGBI meeting of the convention was followed by the WGBI reception in the early evening. The meeting was for WGBI-members only and those interested in learning more. C+D Technologies/Trojan Battery Company and Hollingsworth & Vose gave generous support for the reception.
WGBI — LEADERSHIP STEERING COMMITTEE • • • • • • • •
President – Julie McClure, MAC Engineering Vice president/treasurer – Virginia Archibald, Surrette Battery Secretary – Ellen Maxey, Clarios Membership recruitment – Teresa Grocela, Hollingsworth & Vose Member education – Angelika Mayman, Hollingsworth & Vose STEM education – Negin Salami, Clarios Marketing – Tammy Stankey, The Doe Run Co Staff – Pam O’Brien and Priscilla Gil, BCI
Taking the battle to the regulators
Highlighting regulatory and advocacy work BCI has in hand, Miksad said that BCI has submitted extensive comments in response to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed amendments to regulations governing air emissions from lead battery manufacturing plants. Those comments challenged many of the proposals — and there are two additional long-expected lead rule-makings of considerable concern: the statutorily-mandated five-year re-consideration by the EPA of the current Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(Lead NAAQS), and the muchdelayed reconsideration by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of its general industry lead standard. In early March, EPA released for comment draft versions of the first two volumes of what ultimately will make up its Integrated Review Plan for the Lead NAAQS, together with a schedule for completing that review by early 2026. As BCI’s Energy Beacon has reported, the two volumes are largely background material; a third volume, which will more deeply present scientific analyses, is due early next year. The agency also announced that the volumes would be considered by EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee on April 8. These announcements provided the first opportunity for industry to specifically comment on the need (or, more accurately, lack of need) to reconsider the existing level of 0.15µg/m3.
Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 117
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Snappy dressers on the greens!
As everyone knows the duty of every native born American Batteryman is to play as much golf as is possible between the hours of daylight during a conference. Anything less than a full sun-up to sun-down is not just unmanly but a betrayal of the Constitution, the Flag and the Duty of every citizen to bear arms in homes, offices, supermarkets across the nation. But here is a true story at a BCI meeting in Savannah from our golfing correspondent and wild life photographer. “All the delegates scurried away from the last but one hole on the course,” he said. “They cheated. They were too worried that the alligator (actual photo) would get in the way of their putting that they fled.” “Mind you, I’d run too if it were going to add a penalty stroke for a drop?
Electrolytes for the thirsty! Every BCI attendee knows that a late afternoon snifter is de rigueur after a long day on the golf course, or the conference hall. One specially concocted cocktail known as The Dynamic Charger — you never need even mention the word ‘Acceptance’ here — is circulating among high society in Naples. It’s a straightforward recipe: • • • •
Add half bottle dark rum Mix with half bottle light rum Add full bottle of vodka Add ice and chili flakes. Shake thoroughly and pour into chilled pint glasses. • Serves three.
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The real battery acid cocktail — true! 1 oz Green Chartreuse, 1 oz Jose Cuervo Especial gold tequila, 1 oz Bacardi 151 rum, 5 drops Tabasco sauce
Dov’è il campo da golf, per favore? The mounds of golf bags cluttering up airports across the US can now be explained. Various geographically challenged batterymen — yes they are men as they never ask for directions — have sent their clubs to 10 other cities called Naples across the nation — California, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, New York, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah. One poor misguided soul was seen wandering the tiny airport at Naples, Florida complete with an Italian phrase book asking the bewildered locals … “dov’è il campo da golf, per favore?”
Combine equal ingredients in a shot glass, leaving a little room for a few drops of tabasco sauce. Stir, then down in one. (And probably up in two.) Batteries International • Spring 2022 • 119
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The BCI guide to pandemic greetings We all know the Twist, the Mashed Potato, the Boogaloo and the Bump. But does the Elbow Bumps in the foyer of the Naples conference hotel really look the right thing to do? We were surprised by the number of people that did and didn’t do this. What people don’t tell you is that we’re told to sneeze and cough into our elbows so (humming sound) “let’s smear like we did, last summer ...”
The Elbow Bump:
Only used by politicians in front of cameras
The Fist Bump:
Beloved by macho batterymen. No covid germs could survive on my manly fists
The Foot Tap:
Difficult to do late at night after heavy electrolyte consumption
Hand Waving:
Increasingly popular but make sure it’s a clear hello not a goodbye
The Handshake:
I’ve been double jabbed, had Covid and don’t care who I infect
The Air Kiss:
I like everyone to know I’ve holidayed in Europe
The Hug:
I’m warm and cuddly but brave too
The Surly Nod:
Business as usual
Here come the moaners What is it about battery conferences that bring out the moaners? We’ve heard whines from attendees at three different conferences — “the palm trees are too high, they don’t give enough shade and I burn easily” … “the sky bar is too high up, it makes me dizzy” … ” Most mortals would give their eye teeth to stay at a hotel like the Naples Grande but what did we hear as we dozed in the foyer? “Why is the floor so shiny, it looks a bit slippery to me”? “What’s that huge capital ‘O’ doing in the middle of the lobby? Is that meant to be art?” And to cap it all? “Why can’t we have the opening reception in the car park like we used to?”
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The outing of Dorian Gray Miksad Mysteries abound at the heart of BCI. And the deepest of them is that of the eternal youth of so-called Roger ‘High School’ Miksad. As battery cognoscenti well know, one of the classics of English literature is a strange tale called The Picture of Dorian Gray — a story where the hero remains locked in the appearance of youth but is elsewhere ravaged by time. The BCI team — deeply loyal to their youthful leader — said they could stand his apparent youth no longer. “Two days ago Roger had his 42nd birthday and now we’re outing him!” said a loyal co-worker “He’s enormously experienced, accomplished and a great guy, we want the world to know he’s a man not a fledgeling!”
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