Issue 22: Autumn 2018
The great cobalt conundrum Noble aspirations highlight harsh realities When worlds collide How to combine the best of lead and lithium in one hybrid package
The joys of ammonia! Gigawatts of energy storage potentially on offer via renewables
Putting it all together How better lasers can boost performance when welding metals
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CONTENTS COVER STORY
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THE GREAT COBALT CONUNDRUM Long on promises, short on reality The EV world is finally recognising that lithium cobalt batteries provide the energy density needed to provide range. The trouble is there isn’t enough cobalt to go round.
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Somewhere over the rainbow ... 29 Cobalt may prove the saving grace for hopes of future lithium battery recycling but the prospects for some of the other lithium variants are poor — more full of noble aspirations than market sense.
EDITORIAL
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The end of the world … postponed for the moment
PEOPLE NEWS
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Siemens reshuffles board, appoints Sen as head of renewable energy • Callman quits Tesla to join Macquarie Capital • Hucke new CTO at Skeleton • Centrica’s Hanafin to retire next year • Highview hires Cavada • Meseldzija new CTO at American Manganese • Ortiz new CEO in Puerto Rico • Zhao Huan quits Leoch International Technology • Renewable Energy hires Horne • Pruitt resigns as head of US Environmental Protection Agency • Lightsource appoints Folgado as director • Changes made in Wärtsilä’s management board • Hendry to chair SP Energy • UK’s Faraday Institution appoints Morris as CEO • Schoenfeldt moves from Younicos to CellCube • Sunverge co-founder Kenneth Munson moves to DC Systems
Sen: Siemens’ new renewable energy head 4
NEWS 9 Plans for London’s first VPP revealed • Japan to scale up VPP project to test flexible response capabilities • Tax breaks for lithium ion and fuel cells not enough says Indian agency • Leclanché in joint venture with Exide Industries to make li-ion packs in India • NiZn firm investment to disrupt stationary storage market • Fuel cells used as microgrid at Connecticut US naval base • Funding deadline for sustainable energy SMEs announced by InnoEnergy • Plans for 2GW storage network in UK for grid and EV demands • Record breaking ESS paves way for Tesla’s second system in Australia • Hyundai in second-life battery partnership as EV adoption soars • Daimler ditches home storage to focus on utility scale ESS market • RSR and East Penn sign three-year extension to R&D agreement with Argonne • UK industry leader calls urgent meeting, attacks ‘fudged’ battery recycling figures
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Hyundai, Leclanché link 17
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AI-driven renewable energy system to reduce fossil fuel consumption in UK • New electrodes could pave way for faster cycling of lithium ion in ESS • Skeleton reveals Skelgrid Omni, a supercap for grid integration
FEATURES The best of both worlds — lead lithium hybrids Kicking up a stink! Ammonia to be next energy storage disrupter
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CONFERENCE IN PRINT
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Lead-lithium hybrids: the best of both worlds 32
Dissimilar metal joining through new lasers can boost battery performance
EVENT REVIEWS & EVENTS
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The International Flow Battery Forum • EUROBAT AGM and forum • The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe • Also our comprehensive round-up of energy storage conferences, exhibitions, workshops and meetings for the months ahead!
Energy Storage Journal — Business and market strategies for energy storage and smart grid technologies Energy Storage Journal is a quarterly publication. Publisher: Karen Hampton karen@energystoragejournal.com +44 7792 852 337 Editor: Michael Halls, mike@energystoragejournal.com +44 1 243 782 275 Asian editor Debbie Mason debbie@energystoragejournal.com
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Working with
The lead-lithium storage debate steps up a notch The new titan of lead The CEO interview
Ecoult’s UltraBattery, Anil Srivastava and www.energystoragejournal.com ready to take lithium Leclanché’s bid for on, head-to-head
market dominance
Next gen integrators Coming soon to a smart grid near you, the ideal middle man
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 1
EDITORIAL Mike Halls • editor@energystoragejournal.com
End of the world postponed — for the moment Or why supplies of cobalt, nickel and lithium will continue unfettered The 1970s were a scary time to be growing up. The reason was simple. The world was about to end. The first big scare of the 1970s, of course, was the coming and irreversible ice age that was about to engulf the planet.
Peter Gunter, a North Texas State University professor, wrote in 1970, “Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, and Africa.
Global temperatures were dropping so much that the general impression — courtesy as ever of a gullible and sensationalist media — was that within a couple of generations the freeze would have changed life forever.
“By 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions…. By then, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.”
One prominent scientist-cum-ecologist, Kenneth Watt, predicted that: “If present trends continue, the world will be about 4°F colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but 11°F (7°C ) colder by 2000… this is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.” Polar bears would be vacationing on Miami Beach and Arctic wolves would be snapping up hapless children from remote settlements in the Sahara. But the other bogeyman to put fear into the hearts of every generation yet to come was that we were going to run out of the world’s resources. It’s a theme that still dominates the thinking of doomsday bloggers. The question they ask themselves is one that still remains the horror of horrors. “Will there ever come a time when I cannot buy anything — irrespective of the price demanded?” Put simply, have we run out of the stuff? Going back to the 1970s every kind of shortage was predicted — from food to minerals to oil or even air to breathe. And some forecasts were bizarre, even for those days. On the first Earth Day in April 1970, Paul Ehrlich, the environmentalist, predicted a US ravaged by hunger by 2000. He foresaw a country of just 23 million inhabitants surviving on fewer calories than the very poorest nowadays. Most notably between 1980 and 1989 he reckoned 4 billion would perish worldwide in what he called the “Great Die Off”. “Will it be fine to eat the bodies of our dead because of our hunger?” he asked. 2 • Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018
On the back of the scare, the movie Soylent Green was released in 1973. In the future the dead would be processed into the title of the film, a mysterious edible sludge for the masses. The film was set in 2022. Sufficiently far in the future to imagine the situation and now sufficiently near for us to laugh at the idea. (Rather than being funny, the reality is that the US today supports more than 300 million people who consume an average of about 3,600 calories per person per day and some, multiples of that.) Air quality too was a lively source of debate in the 1970s. Even respected magazines such as Life carried on with the doom and gloom, here verbatim: “Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution. By 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half.” Harrison Brown, a scientist at the National Academy of Sciences in the US, published a chart in the Scientific American that looked at metal reserves and estimated that humanity would totally run out of copper shortly after 2000. Lead, zinc, tin, gold, and silver would be gone before 1990. Oil was another grim forecast. Could the unthinkable ever happen that an entire generation of urban Americans — and not forgetting wannabe American Europeans — might have to walk to get anywhere? Or even worse, use public transport? www.energystoragejournal.com
EDITORIAL In a world with finite and falling petroleum resources, what would be the fate of mankind if we no longer had the internal combustion engine? Or the starter batteries to get them moving? Many of the 1970 predictions just followed the logic of Thomas Malthus, one of the first theorists on demography and certainly the most influential. Writing at the turn of the 19th century, Malthus predicted that the geometric growth of population versus the linear growth of food would end not just badly, but very badly. It’s a similar predicament to modern supply chain theorists. Once EVs, for example, become popular, demand will be such that the nickel and cobalt that gives them a good driving range will become so pricey that the cars will no longer be made and cobalt not mined. To mix metaphors, a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy and a vicious circle all jumbled up. Oddly enough, despite the doom-mongering from the experts the overall mood from the 1960s onwards was optimistic. Man had landed on the moon. There was talk of one day having colonies on the moon, mining camps to provide us with the minerals the earth needed. Fantasists of every persuasion had a field day… Fascinatingly, Boeing had developed the 747 but was only committed to making a couple of hundred of them at best. Soon all long-haul aircraft would fly at supersonic speeds, was the company thinking. 747s would soon be the dinosaurs of the sky. Now a generation and a half later, what’s changed? Firstly, technology has never proved itself capable of solving everything. The jumbo jets that fly the skies 50 years on are not even close to supersonic speeds. Man last visited the moon in 1972 and as for those mining camps… But it has been able to do a lot of other things. The old saying that greed breeds ingenuity has a truth behind it. For every time that we hear the world is going to run out of something — be it minerals, food or energy — ingenious people find a way around the problem. Just a few years ago, the world was going to run out of rare earths and the Chinese would have a stranglehold on these metals, so vital to everything from wind turbines to EVs. But the shortage didn’t materialize. Mines that had been closed opened again, new LED bulbs replaced fluorescent bulbs, Nissan halved www.energystoragejournal.com
the use of dysprosium in the Leaf motor by a new manufacturing process. And much more too. The incentives to make money — call it greed if you will — meant that supply and demand adjusted to form an equilibrium once more. The question now facing broad swathes of the energy storage community is a simple one. Will the shortages of vital materials — particularly cobalt and nickel — stall the future energy revolution that we believe is happening, or will other factors intervene? The answer is clearly that human ingenuity, combined with a traditional lump of greed, will solve the shortages. Cobalt mining is surging across the world. China, in particular, is stockpiling used batteries that contain cobalt to ensure supply. Indications are that China’s near monopoly on the processing of cobalt ore into the metal will be challenged in the coming years. Battery makers are finding ways of using less of these metals to deliver the same power. And new sources for these metals are being found. The Japanese government, for example, is looking at deep sea mining in its exclusive economic zones around its coast. US private enterprise is already investigating mining the deep oceans around the Cook Islands in the Pacific in a similar private enterprise approach. Given there may be a million tonnes of cobalt as well as manganese and rare earths available in the Cook Islands alone, this initiative could change the price of these metals forever. Yes, there may be hiccups of supply in the coming years — but what market ever operates smoothly?
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 3
PEOPLE NEWS Siemens reshuffles board, appoints Sen as head of renewable energy
Michael Sen
Siemens’ supervisory board approved the reshuffle of managing board responsibilities in Munich, Germany on August 2 as the company begins a restructuring where it moves from five to three divisions. The changes take effect on October 1 after the board unanimously supported the Vision 2020+ concept, which introduces Gas+Power, Smart infrastructure and digital infrastructure divisions. Michael Sen will be responsible for the energy storage company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, which began testing a 120kW/400kWh vanadium redox flow battery in Spain this May. The system complements its existing lithium ion system. Sen became a member of the managing board in 2017 and was in charge of the sell-off of Siemens Healthineers business earlier this year. This raised €4.2 billion ($5.2 billion) in what was Germany’s second largest share offering in 20 years. Apart from a two year spell at E.On as chief financial officer and member of its management board between June 2015 and March 2017, he has spent most of his professional life with Siemens. He started with the firm in 1996. Lisa Davis will head up operations for the company’s gas and power division; Klaus Helmrich heads up digital industries; and Cedrik Neike is in charge of operating smart infrastructure. 4 • Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018
Callman quits Tesla to join Macquarie Capital Greg Callman, Tesla’s US company’s former global director, business development and market entry, moved in June to head the energy storage and distributed solutions efforts of Macquarie Capital, part of the Australia headquartered financial group. Callman’s hire comes as banks are increasingly positioning themselves to profit from the explosion of storage and mobility technologies being commercialized. Callman spent three years with Tesla. From January 2015 to May 2016 he was regional manager for Australasia before moving to California as global director for business development and market entry.
Before that he spent two years with the US energy department. Callman will report to Michael Silverton, head of Macquarie Capital Americas, and Mark Dooley, Macquarie Capital’s global head of green energy.
Hucke new CTO at Skeleton
Centrica’s Hanafin to retire next year
Skeleton Technologies, the graphene-based ultracapacitor firm, announced the appointment of Thomas Hucke as its new technology officer and managing director in mid-June. The researcher had previously worked at German technology group Heraeus and as the global head of R&D electrochemical applications at Swiss headquartered graphite manufacturer Imerys Graphite & Carbon. Hucke will focus on driving growth of the company in Europe and the wider markets.
UK multinational power and gas firm Centrica announced on July 5 that the chief executive of Centrica Business, Mark Hanafin, was to retire in March next year after a decade at the company. Hanafin established its distributed energy & power business and was a key figure in the acquisitions of NEAS Energy, ENER-G Cogen and REstore and the development of a global LNG presence. Hanafin will step down from the Centrica board of directors when a successor is in place.
Thomas Hucke
Greg Callman
Mark Hanafin
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PEOPLE NEWS
Highview hires Cavada UK liquid air energy storage firm Highview Power announced on July 2 it had hired Javier Cavada as its president and CEO. He starts before September 30. Cavada previously worked at Finnish energy storage firm Wärtsilä for the past 17 years, most recently as its president of energy solutions, executive vice president and member of the board of management. Highview Power recently launched its second LAES plant. “This is the world’s first LAES plant at grid-scale. With LAES technology now being proven at scale, the plant paves the way for the
Javier Cavada
Meseldzija new CTO at American Manganese Lithium ion battery recycling and minerals firm American Manganese announced on July 25 it had appointed Zarko Meseldzija as chief technical officer. American Manganese has been at the forefront of developing hydrometallurgical processes to
Zarko Meseldzija
extract and so recycle the valuable metals contained in lithium ion cathodes — cobalt, manganese, nickel and lithium. Meseldzija had been a consultant at the Canadian firm since last December, and brings with him knowledge of hydrometallurgical process development projects, particularly in the field of e-waste and lithium ion battery recycling. American Manganese has recently published the first results of its lab tests with Kemetco where a single pass of its regular cycle extracted 97.5% of the cobalt, 97.6% of the manganese, 97.2% of the nickel and 68.7% of the lithium. Earlier last month, the company appointed Jim Hahn to its advisory board. As part of his remit he will help the
global adoption of LAES technology,” says a company official. “Highview Power has developed its liquid air energy storage technology to provide long duration storage without siting limitations that can absorb the natural intermittencies from wind and solar power, thus enabling greater renewables integration,” said Cavada. “This creates a historic opportunity to increase the speed of this transition, by combining LAES technology with renewables and other smart and flexible sources of energy.” Highview’s CEO Gareth Brett becomes vice chairman once Cavada arrives. Marco Wirén will start at Wärtsilä in October as Cavada’s replacement. company to locate, identify and procure supplies of lithium ion batteries for its recycling process. Among his achievements Hahn was a PGA professional golfer.
Ortiz new CEO in Puerto Rico The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has named José Ortiz as its new CEO amid a shake up when five of its seven board members resigned in July. Ortiz was a former chief executive of the water and sewer utility and one-time chairman of the power company known as Prepa. He faces a huge challenge in turning round the fortunes of the bankrupt company. Ortiz is the authority’s fourth CEO since Hurricane Maria knocked out power to more than 1.5 million homes and businesses last September.
Zhao Huan quits Leoch International Technology
Zhao Huan
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The executive director of lead battery giant Leoch International Technology, Zhao Huan, has resigned. Leoch’s chairman, Dong Li said Zhao had quit effective August 6“to manage her personal affairs”. Dong thanked Zhao for her contribution to the company. He said: “Ms Zhao confirmed that she does not have any disagreement with the board and there are no
other matters relating to her resignation that need to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the company or the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.” Zhao Huan was executive director and vice president in charge of international sales, administration, human resources and treasury, as well as the global promotion of the company’s products. She was appointed a director
on June 11, 2010 Zhao joined Leoch in 2004 as a foreign trade clerk. She was subsequently promoted to foreign trade manager, deputy general manager of the foreign trade department and finally to her last position, in which her responsibilities focused more on the overall management and strategic development of the firm’s sales and marketing.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 5
PEOPLE NEWS
Swinerton Renewable Energy hires Horne Swinerton Renewable Energy announced on July 31 it had hired Craig Horne as senior director, energy storage. “He brings to the new position 25 years of experience with energy storage systems including flow, lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries,” says the firm. He joins from Renewable Energy Systems where he developed new international markets for storage, worked to bring new technologies to RES’s portfolio, evaluated project
Changes made in Wärtsilä’s management board Wärtsilä Corporation will make two changes to its management board in October. Marco Wirén has been appointed president of Energy Solutions, executive vice president and member of the board effective October 1. 2018. He is responsible for Wärtsilä’s Energy Solutions business globally, and reports to CEO Jaakko Eskola Wirén is currently the chief financial officer of Wärtsilä, and has held this position since August 2013. Before that, he had broadranging experience of financial management and international business management from the steel manufacturer SSAB, the infranet company Eltel Networks, and the construction company NCC. Arjen Berends takes over from Wirén as CFO, executive vice president and member of the, effective October 1.
Arjen Berends
6 • Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018
Craig Horne
Berends joined Wärtsilä in 1988. He has held several key positions in financial management within Wärtsilä’s business areas and subsidiaries. Since 2012, Berends has been vice president finance and business control for Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.
UK’s Faraday Institution appoints Morris as CEO The Faraday Institution, the biggest independent energy storage institute in the UK, announced Neil Morris had been appointed its CEO on July 30. Morris has more than 30 years’ experience in the energy sector, having worked as CEO for Klesch Petroleum and in various positions at British Petroleum. “Continued advances in energy storage will place the UK at the forefront of a global revolution in transport and help to deliver cleaner air, a better environment and a strong clean economy. We have found in Neil Morris a leader to help make the UK the go-to place for the advancement of knowledge related to energy storage and capture,” said Peter. Littlewood, executive chair of the Faraday Institution’s board of trustees. “As batteries become big business and the industry matures, we need a leader able to energise large, diverse teams in challenging environments. Morris’s recognized leadership in the energy sector makes him an ideal choice as the CEO of the Faraday Institution.”
performance and expanded the company’s storage business models. Horne is also chair of the Energy Storage Association (ESA) and has been on its board since 2014. He has been active in advancing energy storage initiatives in the US. Swinerton Renewable Energy is a solar EPC and O&M service provider over 3.5GW installed and 4.5GW under management. In 2017, SRE launched a HighVoltage and Interconnection group based in Raleigh, North Carolina. “The company’s entry into the energy storage market is in response to growing demand for flexible, affordable storage solutions that can be dispatched when demand for electricity is high,” says the firm.
Neil Morris
The Faraday Institution was set up in October 2017 as part of a government-funded project to research and advance battery technology.
Hendry to chair SP Energy UK distribution network operator SP Energy Networks has appointed former Conservative party energy minister Charles Hendry as the independent chair of its transmission user group. Hendry will help shape the UK firm’s plans beyond 2021 as it becomes a distribution system operator model to meet the demands of the country’s move to a decarbonized transport and heat infrastructure.
Charles Hendry
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PEOPLE NEWS
Pruitt resigns as head of US Environmental Protection Agency The administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, resigned as the top environmental regulator, US president Donald Trump announced via Twitter on July 5. Several top aides to Pruitt have left, less than a week after Pruitt resigned his post. The departures include Jahan Wilcox, as Pruitt’s spokesman; Lincoln Ferguson, a long-time aide and confidant; Hayley Ford, deputy White House liaison, and Kelsi Daniell, an EPA spokeswoman. With the exception of Daniell, who had served notice before Pruitt resigned, all of the appointees were close allies of the former administrator. Last October Pruitt signed a proposal repealing the Obama-era Clean Power Plan that aimed to slash carbon emissions from the power sector. It followed Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris
agreement. In part, the repeal argued the rule was illegal because it directed utilities to reduce emissions only achievable ‘outside the fence-line’ of individual power plants, such as buying renewable energy or closing coal plants in favour of natural gas investment. The deputy at the agency, Andrew Wheeler has taken over as acting administrator. “Wheeler was brought on last year by president Trump as the seasoned deputy under former Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt,” says one commentator. “Wheeler built his resume mastering the nuts and bolts of federal environmental regulation from his time as a former EPA bureaucrat, an influential Capitol Hill staffer, and an energy lobbyist.” In April, he was confirmed as the technical wing man to Pruitt’s more prominent role as Trump’s top de-regulator.
Lightsource appoints Folgado as director Lightsource BP announced on June 29 it had appointed financial services professional Ricardo Folgado as its new structured finance director. Ricardo will be responsible for structuring investments and PPAs, as well as fundraising at the company. A strategic partnership was formed last December when oil and gas company BP invested $200 million for a 43% stake in UK solar firm Lightsource. Ricardo most recently spent eight years focused on energy finance at General Electric, and specialized in financial services strategy at consultants Accenture and international banking group HSBC. Paul McCartie, Lightsource BP Group CIO, said: “Folgardo’s knowledge of financial services strategy will help us better navigate the market’s shift to unsubsidized renewable energy and deliver on our 6GW growth pipeline in the US, India, Europe and the Middle East.” Over the last seven years, www.energystoragejournal.com
Lightsource BP has raised over $3 billion in project debt and equity capital, including the largest ever sterling-denominated renewables bond (£245m).
Scott Pruitt
INBRIEF Duke Energy promotes Henning to senior VP On June 5, power holding company Duke Energy promoted Jim Henning to senior vice president of customer services. He succeeds Gayle Lanier, who retired this April. Amy Spiller, a 15-year veteran of the firm, becomes president of Duke Energy Ohio and Duke Energy Kentucky. She was promoted from being vice president of Ohio government and community affairs.
JLM Energy makes Clark new CEO JLM Energy appointed Erin Clark as the energy storage firm’s new CEO on May 30. He was previously COO at the California, US, based company and replaces the firm’s co-founder Farid Dibachi.
Palombini takes over as Dynapower energy storage director
Ricardo Folgado
Inverter firm Dynapower promoted Chip Palombini in May to director of energy storage. He was previously the sales manager for four years. He joined the company in September 2010 as a design engineer.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 7
PEOPLE NEWS INBRIEF Schoenfeldt moves from Younicos to CellCube Vanadium flow battery maker CellCube Energy Storage Systems, the company bought and renamed by Stina Resources, has hired Alexander Schoenfeldt as the managing director of its Austrian subsidiary Enerox. He was most recently VP of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa for German ESS company Younicos. In May Stina, named Brett Whalen as its new finance adviser to the company’s board of directors. Whalen is a vice president and portfolio manager at Goodman Investment Counsel, a wholly owned division of Dundee Corporation. He is also president and CEO of the CMP Group of companies and director of Enwise Holdings.
Sunverge co-founder Kenneth Munson moves to DC Systems Kenneth Munson, the co-founder of energy storage firm Sunverge, was named on May 31 as the new COO of California company DC Systems, a provider of integrated software solutions for power systems and grid-operators. Munson will lead operations and engineering and spearhead the development, communication and implementation of a global growth strategy with utilities, EPCs, developers, and large power generators.
Blunden joins ESA board of directors In Washington, US, trade body Energy Storage Association announced on June 7 that Julie Blunden has joined its board of directors after a position became vacant in May. Blunden became electric vehicle charging firm EVgo’s executive vice president for business development in March when Cathy Zoi moved from interim to permanent CEO at the Los Angeles, US, firm. 8 • Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018
FOR THE RECORD We were unable to print these appointments in the last issue of Energy Storage Journal. • On May 3 GE Power, a subsidiary of General Electric, announced it had hired Robert Morgan, former AES Corporation CEO and founder of Agile Energy. to head its Energy Storage Unit and manage the growth of its Reservoir Energy Storage platform. • US utility Avangrid — the company formed when Iberdrola USA bought UIL Holding for $3 billion in December 2015 — announced in spring Laney Brown was its new vice president. This was a return to the company Brown left two years ago, when she quit as director of smart grid planning and programmes at Iberdrola USA to take up a job as vice president of grid modernizing strategy at utility consultants Modern Grid Partners in February 2016. Most recently she spent 10 months as vice president at Concentric, the energy industry management consulting and financial advisory services firm. • The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre — part of the government’s £246 million ($332 million) Faraday Battery Challenge – appointed Jeff Pratt as it managing director. He started in June, after finishing his job as general manager at Nissan’s lithium ion battery plant in Sunderland. He will report to Kuma Bhattacharyya, a British-Indian engineer who founded the Warwick Manufacturing Group in 1980. • US battery-based energy storage firm Engie Storage’s founder Vic Shao has stepped down from his position as chief executive officer and will be replaced by Christopher Tilley, the California company announced on March 26. Shao, who founded the company formerly known as Green Charge in 2009, will stay on as the company’s chairman and will head the international energy storage business development efforts on behalf of Engie. • US artificial intelligence powered energy storage system firm Stem announced on March 20 that Mark Triplett is its new chief operating officer, responsible for deployment, supply chain, and programs. Alan Russo also joins Stem as senior vice president of global sales. Triplett was most recently the COO of energy storage company Green Charge Networks, the company that Engie bought an 80% share of in 2016. • David Mihara has joined separator firm Microporous as the company’s vice president of technology. Mihara has previously worked at two lead acid battery firms. Most recently at Northstar Battery Company where he was the firm’s chief technical officer and former director of battery development. • US zinc bromide flow battery firm Primus Power announced on March 5 it had appointed renewable industry veteran Jörg Heinemann as its chief commercial officer. Heinemann spent more than 15 years at PV firm SunPower where he oversaw the implementation of more than 2,000MW of solar power plants. • Residential storage and virtual power plant company Sonnen announced on April 23 it had hired Ani Backa as its US director of regulatory strategy and utility initiatives. Backa, who is an expert in US utilities and regulations, will work directly with regulatory bodies and utilities across the country to promote the implementation and expansion of the sonnenCommunity VPP system.
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NEWS
Plans for London’s first VPP revealed Energy aggregator Powervault to go live with 40 virtual power plant installations in Q4 this year Plans for London’s first virtual power plant using rooftop solar and residential energy storage systems were unveiled on June 22 by UK distribution operator UK Power Networks. The system, which will be run through London-based battery manufacturer and energy aggregator Powervault, allows homeowners to access a flexibility contract where they are paid to support the distribution network using their assets. The fleet of 40, 8kWh batteries are to be installed in homes across the London Borough of Barnet in Q4 this year. Each system can charge from either solar or off-peak grid power, which will be controlled remotely via Powervault’s aggregation platform. During high demand UK Power Networks can instruct the batteries to discharge in unison to relieve pressure on the power network. Local residents will receive a payment when their batteries discharge. The new flexibility contract is the first time in London that people with solar panels and battery storage installed at home will be paid to support the distribution network in this way. Barry Hatton, director of asset management at UK Power Networks, said: “Our plans to create the capital’s first ever virtual power station are paving the way for a smart, flexible electricity network that puts people in charge of their energy use. “Projects like this are just the start as
we move towards a decarbonized, decentralized and digitized network.” The shift to local renewable generation has transformed the UK’s energy system, and the virtual power plant is just one of a number of innovation projects giving customers greater control
UK Power Networks described the transformation in energy as being similar to the impact the advent of broadband had on telecommunications in the early 2000s over their energy use. When UK Power Networks launched its vision for the future, ‘A Smart Grid for All’, last year, it described the transformation in energy as being similar to the impact the advent of broadband had on telecommunications in the early 2000s. The system will also defer investment costs for the network operator by providing an alternative to the traditional approach of adding more cables and substations to increase capacity. The agreement follows a successful trial of the technology using 45 Powervault batteries by the DNO this February. UK Power Networks claims to
have reduced the average household evening demand by 60%. Joe Warren, managing director of Powervault, said: “This is a really exciting development for our business. A payment for supporting the local networks, on top of the savings from solar and time-of-use tariffs, will enhance the business case for customers, moving us closer to our goal of delivering a massmarket product as commonplace as a dishwasher. It also proves the value of domestic battery storage to the whole energy system. We think this contract is just the first step in what will be a huge growth area.” Daniel Burgess, a resident who participated in the trial in February, said: “I’m excited to be involved in this. If you think about it, in the UK we’ve got solar already installed on nearly a million households, and if everyone moves to having batteries that’s a massive change in how local power is supplied.” Powervault first came to Batteries International’s attention when it launched a 2.5kWh-4kWh lead acid home storage system, at a time when firms such as Tesla and Sonnen were releasing lithium ion products. The company said their all glass mat system could handle 800 cycles, while the tubular version could operate 1,800. The company has since launched its lithium ion phosphate system that can store 2kWh– 6kWh of usable AC energy.
Japan to scale up VPP project to test flexible response capabilities Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is expanding a virtual power plant project to include the country’s Tohoku and Hokkaido regions as it tests the technology’s ability to provide a flexible response to meet supply and demand. The project runs until February 2019 and will examine potential technical and institutional issues in hardware and software as Japan explores the best
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use of surplus power. Participants include utility The Kansai Electric Power, energy management firm Eneres, telecommunications company KDDI Corporation, utility Tokyo Electric Power Company Group, and ceramics and PV firm Kyocera. The VPP will remotely control and integrate distributed power resources including batteries and renewable generation assets with the goal of establish-
ing a system that optimizes supply and demand. Kyocera will use its home energy management system POM SYSTEM to remotely control energy resources from its own batteries. As part of the demand testing, one of the tertiary power adjustment capacity tests will examine if the VPP can respond to changing power demand signals, which will be examined every 15 minutes based on real-operation scenarios.
Japan seeks to have renewable energy account for 22%-24% of all its electrical power generation by 2030. In 2014, Kyocera participated in an earlier phase of the project with METI and the Institute of Applied Energy. In that phase participants established an automated demand response systems with aggregators and a demand response system. In 2016, Kyocera participated in a VPP test project using its own storage batteries and IoT technologies as well as the ADR system.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 9
Engineered additive solutions for the future of energy storage. www.hmndgroup.com
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Tax breaks for lithium ion and fuel cells not enough says Indian agency India will reduce the tax on lithium ion batteries by 10% and fuel cells by more than half, the 28th GST (goods and service tax) Council meeting decided on July 21. The tax cut to 18% was welcomed by the India Energy Storage Alliance, which expects the country to attract $3 billion in investments as it aims to build up to five advanced lithium ion batteries gigafactories in the next decade. However, the alliance called for even further tax breaks to bring battery cells in line with solar components (5%) and electric vehicles where battery cells attract a 12% tax rate if
sold pre-fitted. The alliance also called for the tax reduction to include other technologies including advanced lead acid, flow batteries and ultracapacitors. The alliance predicts the reduction on fuel cells from 28% to 12% will provide a major push towards the development and adoption of fuel cell vehicles in India. India has more than 1GWh of annual assembling capacity for converting imported lithium ion cells into battery modules. The alliance says India has almost 20 different applications for energy storage including renewable integration, grid ancillary
services, diesel minimization and microgrids as well as EVs and charging infrastructure. Debi Prasad Dash, director at the alliance, said: “We welcome the steps taken by the GST Council. Both electric vehicle and renewable energy industries will benefit by this step.” The alliance had previously sent several letters to GST council earlier urging them to reduce tax and has also raised the issue with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Power and NITI Aayog, the policy think tank. Rahul Walawalkar, executive director of the alliance and member of the
Expert Committee set up by MNRE for drafting National Energy Storage Mission said the reductions were not enough. He said: “Further reduction of GST for energy storage to 5% or to 12% is essential to boost energy storage adoption in India, which can help accelerate investment in manufacturing as well. “We urge the finance ministry to extend the rate reduction to other forms of energy storage technologies including advanced lead acid, sodium based batteries, flow batteries, metal air batteries, ultra-capacitors, fuel cells and thermal storage technologies.”
Leclanché in joint venture with Exide Industries to make li-ion packs in India Energy storage firm Leclanché signed a joint venture with India’s largest lead battery maker, Exide Industries, on June 27 where the Swiss firm will begin production of lithium ion batteries in the Asian subcontinent. The JV, which will be 75% under Exide’s control, will enable lithium cells, modules and battery packs to be manufactured in the state of Gujarat by the second quarter of 2019. A lithium ion cell production plant will begin operating mid 2020, the firms said. The announcement comes less than a month after Leclanché secured Sfr75 million ($76 million) in corporate funding and a conditional Sfr50 million funding facility for acquisitions and joint ventures from its largest shareholder FEFAM, a collection of various investment funds. Gautam Chatterjee, managing director and CEO of
Exide Industries said the firm was responding to Indian government policies. He told Batteries International: “The JV will focus on e-transport, stationary energy storage systems and speciality storage markets. In e-transport, the target segment is fleet vehicles including e-buses, e-wheelers and e-rickshaws.” The JV will also provide energy storage systems for India’s EV market and gridbased applications. “Since the government is focusing on the electric vehicle industry we thought to
stay relevant we should go into this,” Chatterjee said. “We were looking for a company to help develop this and chose Leclanché to work with. Initially it will be limited to buses and two and three wheelers, but gradually this will expand and include all kinds of cars. “This ideally complements our leading position in the lead acid storage battery market in India and will allow us to take the lead in the lithium ion battery industry, which is expected to grow significantly in the next few years.”
Separately, at the end of June, Exide Industries signed an agreement to buy a closed-down factory belonging to lead acid battery manufacturer Tudor India, the Indian arm of the US company Exide Technologies. Last May, the Indian firm settled an argument with US lead acid firm Exide Technologies over the use of the Exide trademark in India. After 19 years of legal battles, the US firm finally gave up
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Leclanché CEO Anil Srivastava said the JV would provide Leclanché with giga-scale procurement volumes, which would help reduce costs and increase recurring annuity revenues, generating recurring stable revenue growth for the company. In February, Leclanché announced it was to deliver its first behind the meter system in North America after being selected by NRStor C&I, a subsidiary of NRStor, to build a 2MW/4MWh lithium ion energy storage system.
its claim to the trademark — and the sale of the factory marks the end of Exide’s production in India. Exide Technologies director of corporate communications Melissa Floyd said: “Exide Technologies has been in the process of winding down its manufacturing operations in India for some time. The sale of assets in India is a result of the company’s decision to cease direct production in India.”
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NEWS
NiZn firm investment to disrupt stationary storage market Nickel zinc firm ZAF Energy Systems announced on July 1 it had received the first instalment of a $600,000 investment to help expand production and forge supply chain partnerships in its goal to replace lead acid batteries with nickel zinc in stationary and motive applications. The second instalment of $300,000 from Missouri’s Department of Economic Development fund, part of the US state’s Venture Capital Co-Investment Program, is due in the next 60-days. Randy Moore, CEO of ZAF, told Batteries International that nickel zinc was well suited for replacing lead acid because the incumbent technology wasn’t keeping up with the increased electrical load demands of many applications and customers didn’t want the added complexity, cost, or safety concerns of lithium ion. “As to disrupting the stationary storage markets, we think that is possible as well,” said Moore. “Perhaps other technologies are better suited to a four-hour backup of a large wind farm or solar installation, but for most data centres, hospitals, industrial behind-the-meter applications, NiZn is well suited to take on lead acid. “In a data centre, we’ve done the analysis and are involved in testing now that looks like we can eliminate 40% of the battery volume and 55% of the battery weight. “Data centres are all about reducing the footprint of anything that isn’t data. In addition, because of the weight savings, co-located data centres in highrise office buildings would be possible. Because of the
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ZAF’s Wilkins: energy density is the key
safety of NiZn batteries, they would do well in areas where local codes are restricting the use of lithium ion in buildings that are occupied.” ZAF also claims to be able to double the life cycle of traditional lead acid batteries. Executive vice president at ZAF, Craig Wilkins said: “Life cycle is a function of depth of discharge, and people quote some really crazy numbers, for example a lead acid battery with 80% depth of discharge normally has anywhere between 300-400 cycles. “We will be in the 700800 range for life cycle for deep cycle 80% depth of discharge. Of course, if
Moore: “We’ll make a 20th of a gigafactory in 18 months”
you cycle it to 20% depth of discharge we are in the couple of thousand range. So it’s all a matter of sizing the battery correctly.” ZAF is looking to get its technology down to $0.13 per kilowatt hour levellized cost of energy, per kilowatt hour delivered. The LCOE is low volume in comparison to lead and lithium, said Wilkins. It is also using the company’s current design, so ZAF says it expects improvements when its Gen3 and Gen4 products arrive and expect it to bring that cost down by another 20%-25%. The difference between it and say Encell’s nickel iron (LCOE of $0.04) technology is the energy density and the services that ZAF can provide to the high valued market sector. “We can provide frequency regulation response and that’s why people are looking at this largely for renewable projects area because it’s great for frequency regulation, control and ramp,” Wilkins said. “I want to make a real distinct difference, when batteries out there are performing long-cycle life, multiple thousands of cycles that obviously impacts the value on the dollar per kilowatt hour and also on the dollars per kilowatt hour delivered over its lifecycle. “So when you go off and start comparing using that method there’s one thing you’ve got to realize is what is the value of the services you can deliver me at kilowatt hour not just the cost of that kWh. “If you can only deliver energy services and not power services the value of that kilowatt hour delivered is less because you are not driving revenue with
the same impact as what the battery can provide.” Last October Zaf announced the opening of a new production facility in Joplin, Missouri, that is dedicated to manufacturing its initial line of batteries. The latest round of funding will allow the firm to increase electrode volumes from 40KWh to 2MWh this month. Next year ZAF aims to expand to 25MWh and then to 50MWh in two shifts by the end of 2018. “So, we’ll be at 1/20th of a ‘gigafactory’ in about 18 months,” says Moore. “Because we are looking at many battery formats it’s best to not talk in terms of quantities at this point. There is no comparing the quantity of 6D batteries to Group 31, or Group 31 to Group 54. “Where we go is really going to be determined by end-customer demand and license adoption. We foresee needing 140MWhr by 2022 for the markets we intend to service ourselves.” The company’s motive battery offering, and its first for long-haul trucking aims to answer the concerns raised by new anti-idle regulations, which have created demand for 10-hour battery operated air conditioning systems. Wilkins said: “The US ABC standards for startstop is 10,000 cycles and maintaining 95% of capacity. We’ve tested to those standards and at 10,000 cycles we are still at 98% capacity. So we cycle very well compared to lead acid.” The company is also working with a robotic inventory handling company to put inductive charges in the floor and fast-charging the robots whenever they pause on a spot to load/unload.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 13
NEWS
Massachusetts sets out 1GW seven year clean energy plan The US state of Massachusetts has laid out plans to deploy 1GW of energy storage by December 2025 after the Act to Advance Clean Energy (Bill H.4857) was signed into law on August 9. The act encourages the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to boost the cost-effective deployment of energy storage systems to increase renewable energy penetration and reduce peak cost power.
The law requires electric distribution companies to submit annual reports outlining their energy storage installations. It demands that the department of energy study the feasibility of a mobile battery storage system to serve as an emergency relief system that can respond to extreme weather or power outages. The system would also shave peak demand and lower distribution costs when not in use for emergencies.
Fuel cells used as microgrid at Connecticut US naval base A ground-breaking ceremony took place on July 25 on an 7.4MW fuel cell park in the US that will act as a microgrid at the Naval Submarine Base, New London in Groton, Connecticut. FuelCell Energy of Danbury will install and own the installation under a long-term power purchase agreement for utility Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative. The agreement be-
tween the Navy and the utility was announced last October following a competitive solicitation and review process. The facility is scheduled for completion by next spring. Power from the fuel cells, which will be managed in Connecticut, is to meet a majority of the average daily energy needs of the base. Excess power will be exported to the Groton Utilities distribution system.
Funding deadline for sustainable energy SMEs announced by InnoEnergy Small and medium sized enterprises seeking support and investment to bring their technology to market have until October 4 to apply to InnoEnergy’s, the sustainable energy engine, 2018 Investment Round. The funding round aims to help sustainable energy companies scale-up and quicken the commercialization of their business case. The Netherland’s-based firm, supported by the European Institute of Inno-
vation and Technology, seeks firms with proof of concept (pilot or type test validation) technology in clean-tech and sustainable energy innovations. Applicants must also be part of a consortium of between three to seven European partners from two different countries, from both the research and industry sectors. As well as funding, InnoEnergy offers applicants access to an innovation ecosystem of more than 385 industry partners
Canada commissions 20MWh behind-the-meter storage system Convergent Energy + Power (Convergent), the US energy storage developer, and IHI announced on August 15 the launch of a 10MW/20MWh behindthe-meter lithium ion energy storage system, located in Ontario, Canada. The system, which uses hardware and software by the energy storage division of IHI, will offer
peak shifting services to industrial customers. The system brings Convergent’s operating capacity to 26MW in Ontario, since it entered the province’s power market in 2014. This project marks IHI Energy Storage’s entry into the Ontario market, with another 21MW contracted in the region.
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from all areas of the sustainable energy industry. Diego Pavia, CEO of InnoEnergy, says: “It is our mission to accelerate the clean energy transition in Europe. We go beyond the mere contribution of cash to help our partners grow. Not only do we provide access to Europe’s leading network of clean-tech and sustainable energy expertise, but we provide sustained support through marketing and other value-building services.” InnoEnergy has invested €190 million ($220 million) in projects spanning eight technology areas across Europe — resulting in €3 billion of forecasted sales since launching the funding round in 2011. Those areas include energy storage — for integrating renewables on to
the grid, enabling a more responsive distribution system and improving security of supply — smart electric grids and renewable energies. Success stories include EOLOS in Europe’s Iberian peninsular, which developed a low-cost offshore wind assessment tool to help reduce the financial risks associated with the siting of offshore wind installations. Its ‘LiDar’, a reusable floating buoy, can be deployed at any offshore location to gather accurate and reliable wind energy measurements up to 200m above sea level.
Details about the investment round, including how to apply can be found at: https://investmentround.innoenergy.com/ aplicationcriteria.html
The funding round aims to help sustainable energy companies scale-up and quicken the commercialization of their business case www.energystoragejournal.com
NEWS
Plans for 2GW storage network in UK for grid and EV demands Grid-scale energy storage company Pivot Power has revealed ambitious plans to build 2GW of lithium ion capacity in the UK to meet grid and electric vehicle demands, the company announced on July 17. The plans will begin with a 50MW system in Southampton that will initially provide grid-scale flexibility services with the aim of gaining permission to add an EV ‘superhub’ rapidcharging facility that will share the same grid connection as the battery. Construction of the system, which will be housed in 25 containers on a 1.6-
The superhub will be a mass-charging infrastructure for commercial fleets such as electric buses, taxis and vans with the ability to charge up to 100 vehicles at the same time. The projects aim to address concerns about the availability of chargers, distance travelled on a charge, and cost — the three biggest barriers to EV adoption identified by the UK’s Department for Transport’s survey Public attitudes towards electric vehicles: 2016 (revised). Pivot Power aims to have the systems operational at 10 sites within 18 months
and all 45 within five years. If successful Pivot Power would be one of the biggest single suppliers of the UK’s battery capacity by 2021 — at least according to a UK government paper released in January whose medium forecast was for 8GW of capacity, up from around 300MW nowadays. The government paper was written by the UK Renewable Energy Association, an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Energy Storage, and an interest group made up of members of the House of Lords and House of Commons.
RedT to replace coal with 770MWh of VRFB for German grid
of conventional batteries). In the context of this deal, flow machines have been chosen over conventional batteries because they are longer lasting (20+ years), ramp faster than conventional power generators and can provide the four hours of energy which is required to support the grid. “This is highly significant as this is the first example of flow machines replacing conventional coal power plants for this grid support service.”
UK firm RedT Energy has announced plans for 770MWh of projects on July 26 after signing an exclusivity agreement with German energy development company Energy System Management. RedT will initially deliver two 40MWh vanadium redox flow battery projects in Germany, with plans to roll out the full capacity portfolio of network reinforcement projects in the future. It is the first time VRFB technology will be used to provide secondary control reserve, also known as automated frequency response reserve, to the German and Austrian markets. These services have traditionally been provided by ramping coalfired power plants. Construction on the initial phase, which will use more than 1,000 RedT Gen 3 tank units, is expected to begin next year subject to financial close being reached. German transmission system operators require long duration, flexible energy
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acre plot owned by UK transmission operator National Grid, should start around March 2019 and be operational by July. A Pivot Power official said that the lithium ion batteries would be sourced from multiple suppliers because of the volume required. Southampton is the first of 45 sites near towns and major road networks that the UK-based firm has earmarked for projects combining 50MW ESSs with rapid charging stations, Birmingham and Oxford will be among its first such projects.
storage infrastructure to balance their grids. Scott McGregor, CEO, RedT energy said the German market, of which around 8GWh was serviced by coal, was a long term market that provided good revenue, but now storage was displacing fossil fuels to allow it to go to full renewable generation.
He said: “Unlike conventional lead and lithium batteries, flow machines are able to store large quantities of energy, meaning they can offer charge/discharge durations of four hours or more. “The machines are highly flexible too, as they do not degrade and can also perform short term services (matching the response times
Skelton moves supercaps to Germany Ultracapacitor maker Skeleton Technologies announced in mid-July that it had shifted manufacturing from Tallinn, Estonia to the plant it had previously set up in Dresden, Germany last year. “The rest of our machinery was moved there to have all the production’s relevant processes together in one place,” vice president marketing and communications Sylvia Kleimann told Batteries International.
Kleimann says the annual capacity of the plant will be four million cells. “Part of our team has been relocated to the manufacturing side in Germany, but our module development team stays in Tallinn and will be added to with further employees,” she said. “We have a close relationship with the university in Tallinn and very good experience with the engineering and technician competence in Estonia,
and this is why the development of the modules will stay there.” Skeleton Technologies is known for its ‘Skel’ range of ultracapacitor-based energy storage systems, which it says can be used in a wide variety of applications. “Our orders are coming from different industries, including automotive, logistics, aerospace, heavy machinery, materials handling and many more,” Kleimann said.
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NEWS
China ESS boom doubles previous deployment during first half of 2018 A total of 340MW of planned, under construction, and operational energy storage projects have been announced in China during the first half of the year — almost doubling the country’s entire capacity. Projects in Jiangsu, Henan, Qinghai, and Guangdong provinces have helped the country rapidly increase its operational capacity — last year it only installed 121MW, according to China Energy Storage Alliance’s Global Energy Storage Database. The projects were largely concentrated in grid-side, behind-the-meter, and ancillary services applications with lead carbon and lithium ion being the technologies most frequently used. By the end of last year, China’s electrochemical storage capacity was 370MW of its total 30GW, of which 99% was pumped hydro. The rise follows the introduction of the country’s first national-level policy on energy storage — the Guid-
ing Opinions on Promoting Energy Storage Technology and Industry Development — last October. This has been augmented by regional energy storage policies such as those released in Jiangsu province and China Southern Grid.
Jiangsu
Jiangsu’s ‘263 plan’ introduced grid-side and behindthe-meter storage systems to ensure security of supply following the decommissioning of three generators totalling 33MW at the Jianbi power station last year. Eight grid-side projects totalling 101MW/ 202MWh began operation on July 18 using lithium iron phosphate batteries supplied by ESS developers eTrust, China Aviation Lithium Battery, Contemporary Amperex Technology, Guoxuan, and ZTT. Of these, start-up eTrust provided the largest battery at 40MW/80MWh. Despite being little more than two years old, the company es-
tablished in Zhenjiang as a holding company of CITICPE, has already delivered a 53MWh grid-side battery project in Canada, and a 9MWh grid-side energy storage project in California. More than 500MWh of behind-the-meter storage has been added, mainly using lead carbon batteries from Narada, which echoes the company’s success last year according to the alliance. This year the Zenith Group’s 400MWh system was the company’s largest contracted singular project for commercial applications.
Henan
Henan province released two policies in 2017, the Henan Province Energy Development Program for the ‘Thirteenth Five-Year Plan’ and the Henan Province Development Plan for the Energy Transition.
Qinghai
In the Qinghai province, Huanghe Hydropower’s —
Record breaking ESS paves way for Tesla’s second system in Australia Tesla, the US energy storage system manufacturer, is to supply a 25MW/52MWh system to Australia’ Infigen Energy after the renewables firm announced on August 15 it had secured investment for the project. The system, sited opposite the Lake Bonney Wind Farm in the state of South Australia, will be connected to the National Electricity Market via a substation owned by transmission company ElectraNet. The BESS will allow Infigen access to dispatchable generation, to enter into energy supply contracts with commercial and industrial customers, and provide an-
cillary services to guarantee security and quality of supply. Construction should start within months, and once completed should offer at least 18MW of firming power depending on the customer load profile. The A$38 million ($28 million) development includes A$5 million grant funding from the South Australian Government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Tesla supplied the world’s biggest lithium ion system to South Australia in 2017 after the company’s CEO Elon Musk boasted he could deliver the
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100MW/129MWh battery within 100 days. That system is also paired with a wind farm, French renewable energy provider Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm near Jamestown. Time will tell if Tesla has once again over promised after it had to turn to Samsung SDI — rather than its long term partner Panasonic — to deliver the cells to complete the system on time. Since it begun operations in December 2017, the Jamestown ESS has delivered power to the frequency control and ancillary markets faster and more accurately than conventional
a subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation — clean energy plans include energy storage, with its 1GW hydro-solar-wind demonstration project also including a 20MW/17MWh energy storage element this June. The company has also called for bids to supply 45MW/90MWh and 10MW/20MWh of storage capacity — using lithium iron phosphate, lithium ion, zinc bromine and vanadium flow batteries — to support two wind generation projects.
Guangdong
The Guangdong province announced four thermal power plant plus energy storage projects totalling 57MW/28.5MWh. A report by CNESA, the China Energy Storage Alliance, said: “Although market mechanisms are still taking shape and the full value of energy storage applications have not yet been recognized, enthusiasm from grid companies is a positive signal providing energy storage companies with confidence.” generators, according to a report by The Australian Energy Market Operator this April. Separately Tesla has denied reports it will supply 350MWh ESS to a UK solar park on the Kent coastline. The Kent solar farm has been devised by Cleve Hill Solar Park, a joint venture between solar industry specialists Hive Energy and Wirsol Energy. Cleve Hill Solar Park said the company is proposing to include battery storage technology in addition to the PV array. And although a range of scenarios will be presented in the application for the project, the type and final number of batteries for the project is not yet specified.
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NEWS
Hyundai in second-life battery partnership as EV adoption soars Finland technology group Wärtsilä and South Korea vehicle OEM Hyundai Motor Group have signed a technology and commercial partnership to target utility-scale and commercial energy storage applications using second-life EV batteries, Wärtsilä announced on June 26. The partnership will target advanced energy storage products and platforms using Hyundai’s second-life EV batteries for Wärtsilä’s existing global customer base and channel network. The first products will be completed in the next year or so, a spokesperson for Wärtsilä and Hyundai Motor Group, told Batteries International, with ‘some interplay between where the EV batteries come from with stationary storage opportunities’ once the battery supply exceeds GWh levels. The spokesperson said systems will be built centrally then deployed globally, with the planning aspects to be developed over the next 12 months. “Over time, there may be more than one central loca-
The new partners are: (from left) Javier Cavada, president of Energy Solutions at Wärtsilä, Youngcho Chi, EVP and chief innovation officer at Hyundai Motor Group, John Jung, president at Greensmith Energy.
tion — but initially, both South Korea and the US are possibilities,” they said. By 2025 there is expected to be 29GWh of secondlife EV batteries, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Electric Vehicle Outlook 2018, released this May. The companies expect EV batteries to retain between 60%-70% of their original capacity by the time they
retire from the road. “Despite the slight degradation, the capacity of the batteries is still sufficient to run a profitable business and support the power needs of industrial customers,” said the firms. “The process primarily consists of rearranging the battery cells into packages used for utility-scale storage applications. No additional chemical or other
processes are required to repower the batteries.” The multi-year agreement between the two firms aims to establish a supply chain that can be replicated at scale to rollout multi-MWs of storage in the future. “Energy storage is the logical next step in the aftermarket use of EV batteries,” said Youngcho Chi, executive vice president of Strategy & Technology Division and chief innovation officer of Hyundai Motor Group. “By repurposing resource-intensive products like EV batteries, we eliminate disposal costs and extend the value of the R&D investment that goes into manufacturing the technology. Hyundai is strengthening its leadership in clean technology and sustainability by participating in the new energy business.” Meanwhile, Hyundai is developing a 1MWh-level ESS using its IONIQ Electric and Kia Soul Electric’s second-life batteries. The first product will use ESS software provider Greensmith’s fifth generation GEMS technology.
Nissan teams up with academics to test second-life EV battery usage in Brazil Japanese vehicle OEM Nissan announced on August 8 it had signed a memorandum of intent with Brazil’s Federal University of Santa Catarina to test its Leaf electric vehicle batteries in energy storage applications. The vehicle maker will initially supply six electric vehicle battery packs to the university’s research group, which will test their capabilities in second-life storage systems. One of the main lines of research will be the study of second-life EV packs to
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generate and collect power independently from the conventional grid. Another research line will explore the capabilities of storing renewable energy and will involve installing a battery on to the building of the university’s Photovoltaic Laboratory. In June Nissan supplied used Leaf batteries — the best selling EV in Europe for H1 this year with 18,000 sales — for a 3MW ESS in Holland’s Johan Cruyff Arena (see the story on the nearby page).
Earlier this year Nissan and its 4R Energy Corporation affiliate joined with the city of Namie, in the northeast of Japan, to install light posts powered by a combination of solar panels with batteries from Leaf vehicles. But for all the forays into reusing EV batteries the company announced on August 3 it was selling its EV battery subsidiary, Automotive Energy Supply Corporation, which was founded in 2007 to develop advanced lithium ion bat-
teries. The company has entered into a definitive agreement with China’s sustainable energy operator Envision Group. Along with the subsidiary, the firm will buy the battery manufacturing operations in Tennessee, US, owned by Nissan North America and in Sunderland, England, owned by Nissan Motor Manufacturing. Pending normal consultation and regulatory approvals, the deal should close by March 29 next year.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 17
POWERING THE SMART GRID www.energystoragejournal.com
Meet the team Issue 8: Spring 2015
Let cool heads prevail The lead-lithium storage debate steps up a notch The new titan of lead Ecoult’s UltraBattery, ready to take lithium on, head-to-head
The CEO interview Anil Srivastava and Leclanché’s bid for market dominance
Next gen integrators Coming soon to a smart grid near you, the ideal middle man
Mike Halls, editor Mike, a former journalist with the UK newspaper the Financial Times, has been involved in journalism, publishing and print for three decades. “I’m particularly fond of writing about the energy storage industry,” he says. “It’s an unusual mixture of being fast-paced but slow to change — and friendly too. There’s always something more to learn.”
Claire Ronnie, office manager and subscriptions Claire’s our unflappable person — she’s the go-to girl for subscriptions or account enquiries. Go ahead and challenge her!
Karen Hampton, publisher In her recent years of working within the energy storage business Karen has become a well known figure at conferences — not least as our social butterfly. “My job,” she says, “is to get the maximum benefit for our advertisers to make sure their name and brand is out there, while maintaining the integrity, fairness and excellence our publications are renowned for.”
Antony Parselle, page designer Better known in the office as ‘Ant’ he’s been working in magazine design and layout since the early 1990s. Not so good on showing his best side however!
ADVERTISING Jade Beevor +44 (0) 1243 792 467 jade@energystoragejournal.com
June Moutrie, business development manager She’s our accounting Wunderkind who deals with all things financial — a kind of mini Warren Buffett. But more fun!
Jade Beevor, Advertising Manager Jade, who joined the team in early 2015, is already getting a feel for the industry. “This is an incredible business we’re in,” she says. “These people are literally changing the future of our lives — and the planet too!”
Jan Darasz, cartoonist Jan has won international fame as a cartoonist able to making anything — including an electrolyte! — funny. And as for LiCFePO4 ...
EDITORIAL Mike Halls +44 (0) 7977 016 918 editor@energystoragejournal.com
Wyn Jenkins, Supplements Editor Don’t let his boyish charm deceive, Wyn’s been a journalist and respected editor on major financial titles for some 20 years. When not heading his own publications firm, Seren Global Media, he looks after our supplements.
Kevin Desmond, historian More than just a historian on energy storage and batteries as he’s written about many things. He’s the inspiration behind our Heroes of the Grid section.
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Record-breaking ESS powers football stadium using EV batteries For many the World Cup dream has long passed, but the lasting legacy of a 3MW energy storage system using second-life and new electric vehicle batteries at the Johan Cruijff ArenA football stadium, Netherlands is very much alive and kicking after being switched on on June 29. The 2.8MWh system, the largest of its type in a European commercial building, will combine Eaton’s power conversion units and the equivalent of 148 Nissan Leaf batteries at the famous Amsterdam sporting arena. The ESS aims to provide
primary control reserve services to the transmission system operator, localized grid services to the distribution system operator, backup power services to the ArenA, as well as peak shaving and peak shifting. The system will store energy produced by more than 4,000 solar panels on the stadium’s roof, with the ESS providing back-up power, reducing diesel generator use and flattening the peaks on the grid during events. The project is the result of collaboration between Nissan, Eaton, BAM, The Mobility House and the Johan
Cruijff ArenA, supported by the Amsterdam Climate and Energy Fund and Interreg. Johan Cruijff ArenA is
the home of AFC Ajax and the stage for the Dutch national team, big concerts, dance events and business meetings.
Daimler ditches home storage to focus on utility scale ESS market Mercedes-Benz Energy, a 100% subsidiary of Daimler, announced the launch of a 9MW/10MWh project on June 20 that will operate on the German energy markets — a month after exiting the residential energy storage markets. The utility-scale battery storage plant was put into operation through a partnership involving the German vehicle OEM, energy contractors Getec Energie, and the technology company The Mobility House. Almost 2,000 battery modules have been collated to form a live replacement parts store for the fleet of third generation electric vehicles in a plant in Elverlingsen in South Westphalia. However, with a 10MWh output the modular battery storage plant will be used to access the energy market, including supplying primary balancing power. The project is the third of its type in Germany and follows a 12.8MWh second life battery storage plant in
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Lünen and the 17.4MWh replacement parts storage facility in Hanover. The projects aims to maximize the life of the batteries by cycling them while in storage ahead of being used in EVs while simultaneously engaging in the business model of providing grid services. Earlier this year Daimler announced it was to stop its involvement in the residen-
tial storage markets. It had been offering lithium ion 2.5kWh and 20kWh systems. The company told Batteries International this June that the decision was made because it was felt the battery packs were ‘over engineered’ and there was little benefit to basing home energy storage systems on automotive batteries, in the medium or long term.
Instead, the representative said that the company would concentrate its storage business model on using second life battery packs from their EVs. The Elverlingsen project highlights Germany’s shift from fossil fuel to renewables as it is constructed on the site of a former coalfired power station — built in 1912 — that has been shut down.
US DoE gives $100m in boost to 42 research program centers The US Department of Energy announced on June 29 it had allocated $100 million to 42 Energy Frontier Research Centers in a bid to accelerate scientific breakthroughs in the energy storage industry. Each will receive $2 million-$4 million a year to drive development in energy-relevant fields
including catalysts, electro- and photo-chemistry, geoscience, quantum materials, and nuclear and synthesis science. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences, in the department’s Office of Science, established the energy centre program in 2009 and involves universities, national laboratories, industry and
non-profit organizations. Selected by competitive peer review, the current cohort of centers includes 22 new and nine existing ones. Each will receive funding for up to four years. A further 11 existing centers were awarded two-year extensions to support the completion of on-going research.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 19
NEWS
Lead REACH Consortium slams ECHA for backward, inconsistent approach to batteries A consortium of battery makers, lead producers and lead recyclers has criticized the European Chemicals Agency’s June 27 decision to put lead on its Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern. The Lead REACH Consortium, under the ILA and headed by Lisa Allen, says the move is a backwards step and inconsistent with the EU Commission’s mobility and decarbonization plans. “Less than a month after the Commission launched a plan to create a competitive and sustainable battery manufacturing industry in Europe, another part of the organization is moving to ban a key substance in battery manufacturing — one that is already subject to stringent EU legislation
governing its use and one that is not accessible to consumers as batteries are sealed units,” said Lisa Allen, head of the consortium. “By doing this the regulators are effectively shortcircuiting the EC’s battery action plan.” “The ECHA has an obligation to regularly prioritize substances included in the Candidate List,” said a spokesperson with the ECHA. “The potential priority of lead will be for the first time assessed in the context of the ECHA’s 10th Recommendation, which will start in the latter part of 2019. “The next step will be that ECHA will recommend the prioritized substances to be added to the actual REACH authorization list.
“In the last step of the authorization process, if the EC agrees to amend the legislation and include the substance in the authorization list, then a sunset date will be given to each substance after which continued use in EU will require an authorization.” The decision echoes authorities in California, who laid out a work plan in December to explore whether they should add lead to their list of ‘Priority Products’, a move that would mean similar implications for companies using the metal. A decision as to whether lead will be added will be made by the end of 2020. “We urgently need a more coherent plan to prevent this kind of disjointed policy-making. It is dam-
aging for industry and its damaging for consumers. It also makes attempts to decarbonize the economy and boost electrification that much more difficult,” said Allen. “Some member states involved in the decision to add lead metal to the candidate list are rightly questioning whether future REACH authorization of lead is proportionate when considering the plethora of existing and long-standing EU regulation that already exists to control exposure and use of lead. “The EC must urgently find a more appropriate mechanism to address any residual exposure concerns because REACH authorization is clearly counterproductive.”
UK industry leader calls urgent meeting, attacks ‘fudged’ battery recycling figures Greg Clementson, managing director of used battery collection firm G&P Batteries (part of Ecobat), on June 20 called for an urgent meeting of stakeholders to discuss the ‘fudging’ of portable battery recycling figures in the UK. His calls come after the UK missed its EU directive target for the second year running. And although this was by less than 1%, the true figure could be much worse, he says. Figures from the Environment Agency’s National Packaging Waste Database show that in 2017, 39,471 tonnes of portable batteries were placed on the market,
with compliance schemes reporting the collection of 17,427 tonnes — 44.15%. The UK’s target is 45%. A 2016 EU directive changed the weight threshold of portable lead batteries to be less than 4kg from the previous 10kg — which should have meant that even fewer lead batteries were included in the mix. Yet this is not what the Environment Agency’s figures show. They claim that 9,520 tonnes of lead batteries were collected in 2017, with 1,701 placed on the market — a collection rate of more than 560%. “And this has been the story for the past five or six
years, which is incredible,” said Clementson. “G&P believes that this is creating a false impression of the UK’s portable battery recycling track record. “We are the biggest player in the market, but we are not seeing these figures. We collect 50%-60% of the UK’s used batteries, and perhaps 20% of that is lead batteries.” The collection of other battery chemistries, which the directive had aimed to address, had actually dropped by 3%, he said. “The legislation was designed to encourage greater recycling of all battery
“The reality is that this country is clearly under performing when it comes to waste battery collection and is sidestepping its obligations by apparently fudging the figures” Greg Clementson, managing director, G&P Batteries 20 • Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018
types and the Environment Agency figures clearly demonstrate that we are actually collecting fewer batteries of other chemistries rather than more. “The reality is that this country is clearly underperforming when it comes to waste battery collection and is side-stepping its obligations by apparently fudging the figures.” Clementson says he has called an urgent meeting of stakeholders, including Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the Environment Agency, battery compliance organizations and approved battery treatment operators, to thrash out what is going on. “It’s the industry that’s got to solve this,” he said. Clementson said the UK was the only country in which this situation had arisen.
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NEWS
RSR and East Penn sign three-year extension to R&D agreement with Argonne
RSR Technologies and East Penn Manufacturing renewed and extended their lead battery research agreement with the Argonne National Laboratory on July 16, which RSR Technologies’ president Tim Ellis said would result in major advances in lead battery technology. The three parties’ cooperative research and development agreement has been working on new ways to enhance the performance of lead and other materials in lead batteries, and that will be extended for another three years. Testing involves investigating the fundamental transport processes in lead batteries using high-energy X-ray techniques and 3D imaging, with a view to improving lead battery performance. “We have been very pleased with the work accomplished since we entered into the CRADA (cooperative research and development agreement) with Argonne in 2016,” said Ellis. “We not only have learned a great deal about the performance of lead, but have come to realize that much more work can be done.” Bob Flicker, COO at East Penn, said: “We are looking forward to further work, in partnership with Argonne, to achieve an even deeper understanding of this essential battery technology.” Under the extended CRADA, RSR and East Penn will pay Argonne to use the research laboratory’s technical facilities and scientific expertise through its programme ACCESS — Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science — a collaboration of scientists and engineers that work on a range of battery chemistries and technologies. “The lead battery has had a significant impact in various applications over the past 100 years,” said Venkat Srinivasan, director of ACCESS. “We’re excited to leverage our state-of-the-art scientific tools to make this battery technology even more valuable to consumers.”
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Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 21
NEWS Lead acid strengthens its energy storage voice at the EU level The European Association for the Storage of Energy, a membership organization that aims to promote energy storage across all applications, welcomed lead group the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium on July 16. The association is chemistry agnostic, but the addition of ALABC will give a voice to the lead battery technology industry at meetings and working groups with the consortium writing reports and making their voices heard at EU level. EASE comprises suppliers, utilities and battery companies such as lead acid battery makers Exide Technologies and Johnson Controls, supercapacitor firm Maxwell Technologies and lithium ion multinational LG Chem. “We aim to ensure that the legislative framework at EU level is positive enough to ensure that technology can be deployed in Europe, and is not prevented for no good reason,” said EASE policy officer Marine Delhommeau. Delhommeau provides advice and information on the rules surrounding energy storage, helping potential investors in the technology. She said: “We facilitate and identify research and development priorities to work with the EU to make sure there’s enough finding for research.”
Nu-NRG Group and Eguana Technologies join forces in Eastern Canada Canadian firms Eguana Technologies and Nu-NRG Group announced on August 7 that they had entered into an agreement to expand their residential storage system eastwards Nu-NRG will begin to offer its Evolve system — that use LG Chem’s lowvoltage battery modules — to its network of partners in Eastern Canada for use alongside new and existing residential solar applications. The company will become an Eguana-certified installer and complete initial installations next month. “Canada is a high-growth opportunity in the next years for both our product lines,” said Livio Filice, Eguana’s director of residential sales, North America. Evolve is rated at 5KW AC output
22 • Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018
with a modular battery design based on a 6.5kWh battery, which is scalable up to 39kWh. Evolve supports grid-connected solar self-consumption, time of use, and backup power. Separately the firm announced on August 20 that Eguana had added three addition dealer partnerships across the US. The first is Mimeos Sustainability Consultants, based in southern California, BE Solar located in Hamilton, Bermuda and Solar Direct in Sarasota, Florida.
Energy storage at heart of Philippines’ DOE plans for smart grid The Republic of the Philippines’ Department of Energy issued a draft circular on August 1 outlining plans to establish and administer energy storage programs using a variety of technologies. The department wants interested parties — including system operators, utilities and generation companies — to submit their comments on the draft circular on Adoption of Energy Storage System in the Electric Power Industry by September 7. The draft circular is part of the department’s Smart Grid Roadmap, which aims to guide the modernization of the country’s power system. Part of this will be the use of ESS technologies to deliver a range of functions in the generation, transmission and distribution of power, including energy generation, peak shaving, and ancillary grid services. Energy storage technologies listed in the circular include compressed air energy storage, flywheels, batteries (like the country’s 10MW in the municipality of Masinloc ESS for ancillary services) and pumped hydro, such as the 175MW Kalayaan II plant that provides peaking, frequency regulation and control services.
Grid connected sodium sulfur ESS to be tested at Dubai solar park A pilot project in the United Arab Emirates will install and test a 1.2MW/7.2MWh sodium sulfur energy storage system, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority announced on August 5. The grid-connected system at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Solar Park is part of the authority’s plan to promote clean-energy production and storage technologies in the country. The company will use the project to evaluate the technical and economic capabilities and characteristics of the technology to increase network flexibility when paired with PV arrays. The project is one of many by the company to meet goals set out in the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 that aims to deliver 75% of the city’s total power output from clean energy by 2050. The projects include the use of renewable energy, energy storage, artificial intelligence, and digital services. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, said the company aimed to become the world’s first digital utility, using autonomous systems for renewableenergy and storage, increasing the use of AI, and delivering digital services. He said: “Dewa’s project to install and test NaS BESS is part of our efforts to diversify the energy mix and improve storage technologies. “Our initiative for Dubai focuses on pillars to deliver a new utility experience for Dubai and the world. The first pillar is launching advanced solar power technologies in Dubai. The second is deploying a renewable energy grid that uses innovative energy-storage technologies. “This will make better use of the diversified clean energy mix, integrate renewables and storage, and ensure maximum efficiency and reliability of operations.”
Indian contract secures 30MWh ESS contract in western Africa The new business unit of Indian engineering, procurement and construction contractor Sterling and Wilson has secured a contract to supply Africa’s single biggest battery, the company announced in May. The Mumbai-based company will deliver a hybrid microgrid powered by solar, diesel and a 17 MWh battery in Western Africa, although the company would not specify which country. The project is one of three where a total of 30MWh of storage will be deployed across three sites. The behind-the-meter microgrid will power end users in the educational sector. Sterling and Wilson will be responsible for the design, EPC and
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NEWS operations and maintenance of the project. The company created a business unit to offer hybrid power solutions this April. The Hybrid and Energy Storage unit will be headed by CEO Deepak Thakur, while Vishwanathan Iyer will be in charge of the firm’s global business development, marketing and strategic activities. The new unit will work with utility and C&I customers to provide services such as project development, design and engineering, supply chain management, construction, commissioning, and operations and maintenance.
Asia Pacific leads global microgrid deployment with remote projects on the rise Asia Pacific continues to lead the world in microgrid deployment with more than 10GW of capacity, announced Navigant Research on July 16 following the publication of the latest edition of its Microgrid Deployment Tracker 2Q18. The report identified 239 new gridtied and remote microgrid projects — representing 96MW of capacity — in all stages of development across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The report recognized a total of 2,000 microgrid projects representing 25GW of operating, under development, and proposed microgrid capacity. North America is second in terms of capacity with 8GW, despite deploying more than double the number of tracked entries — 1,105 — than Asia Pacific. In part, this is because data availability on individual projects is better in North America than in the Asia Pacific region, Jonathan de Villier, research analyst with Navigant Research, told Batteries International. “For example, China has some major microgrid mandates, but details on the individual projects have been difficult to come by and verify,” he said. Asmus said: “In China, large industrial scale microgrids are being developed. As has been the case with solar PV, China tends to roll out largescale deployments. “In other markets, such as Australia, we are also seeing larger scale remote microgrids for mining and other industrial applications which can be 50MW or even 100MW in size.” However, while Asia Pacific and
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North America accounted for almost three-quarters of all microgrid capacity in the tracker, there has been a significant shift in Latin America with 364MW added capacity. De Villier said: “There are two trends at work. An emphasis on resilience during the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico has definitely helped; Puerto Rico has been explicit about making microgrids a part of the solution, and vendors around the world have been happy to seize that opportunity. “A second trend is that microgrids are becoming increasingly cost-effective as a means of expanding electricity access globally—particularly through remote (not grid-connected) microgrids. “That’s a trend that has been developing for several years. Beyond Puerto Rico, the Caribbean is probably the best overall market for remote microgrids in Latin America due to its weak grid infrastructure.” De Villier said the biggest microgrid trend at the moment was in the remote segment, which continues to grow rapidly as installation costs decrease and new business models develop such as pay as you go that unlock new markets for microgrid technology. “We forecast that the leading business model to emerge over the next 10 years will be forms of energy-as-aservice, which would include pay-asyou-go, as well as programs such as microgrids-as-a-service being offered by Schneider Electric,” he said.
Powerhive confirm plans for ‘substantial’ microgrid project in Nigeria US microgrid utility Powerhive said on August 14 it is in the early stages of plans to expand its reach beyond Kenya just five years after introducing its technology into Africa. The firm is going to provide community microgrids and sell 240V AC power by the kilowatt-hour in Nigeria, EES International reported on August 3. However, although the company’s co-founder Rik Wuts said details of the project would become available ‘in a few months’, he did confirm that: “We certainly have plans to develop a substantial project in Nigeria, similar to our work in Kenya, but as of yet this is in very early stages.” Microgrids are helping to narrow sub-Saharan Africa’s energy deficit,
with projects in countries such as Kenya being complimented by the World Bank, which declared last month it had set aside $350 million to deliver Nigeria’s electrification programme. The programme aims to leverage private sector investments in solar mini-grids to provide electricity for 2.5 million people and 70,000 enterprises throughout the country. In April 2015, following trials of microgrids in four villages, Powerhive announced plans to use the technology to bring power to 200,000 homes across Kenya.
Texas plans to build 10MW/42MWh ESS The US state of Texas is set to build an 10MW/42MWh lithium ion energy storage system by the end of the year storage integrator FlexGen, and integrated power firm Vistra Energy announced on June 13. The contract is for the design and integration of a FlexGen energy storage system at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in West Texas. Once completed Vistra will be able to shift peaks in supply — solar energy generated during the day — to meet peaks in demand during the evening. Josh Prueher, FlexGen CEO, said: “The power grid of the future will see energy storage integrated on site with solar, wind, and gas generation, and the Upton solar plus storage project is a trail-blazing example.” Despite claims by FlexGen, and widely regurgitated by media, that the project will be the biggest lithium ion ESS in Texas, a quick search reveals all storage is not equal. In fact Flexgen’s system is the biggest in term of energy, but not power. Last December, Younicos (the firm bought for $40 million by the UK power generation supply company Aggreko in July) installed a bigger system in terms of power in place. The company completed the installation and commissioning of an upgraded 36MW/18MWh ESS at the site of Duke Energy’s 153MW Notrees Windpower Project in West Texas. The project retrofitted Samsung SDI lithium-ion batteries to replace leadacid technology. The Notrees system has been in operation since 2012, actively participating in Texas grid operator ERCOT’s Fast Response Regulation Services market.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 23
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Skeleton reveals Skelgrid Omni, a supercap for grid integration Estonian graphene-based ultracapacitor firm Skeleton Technologies announced in mid-June the introduction of its grid-scale Skelgrid
Omni technology that can be integrated alongside a UPS to provide short-term back-up power. The 0.5MW, 1MW and
2MW scalable units are designed to stop power outages at critical applications such as manufacturing plants, data centers, and
Skeleton Technologies’ CEO, Taavi Madiberk
hospitals. Taavi Madiberk, the firm’s CEO, said: “Grid codes do not regulate short-term voltage sags, but modern manufacturing equipment requires high power quality. “As a result manufacturing business companies suffering from scrapped products, down time and damage to the manufacturing equipment find themselves between a rock and a hard place.” Separately, the company announced it had formed a partnership with Slovakian energy storage distributer Menestor. The partnership aims to drive sales of Skeleton’s technology in the Slovak, Czech, Hungarian and Austrian renewable energy markets.
AI-driven renewable energy system to reduce fossil fuel consumption in UK A scheme launched in the UK Isles of Scilly will use 43.8kWh of residential batteries, 450kW solar panels, smart heating and electric vehicles to support the British islands’ energy system and tackle fuel poverty, PassivSystems and Moixa announced on July 24. The Hitachi Europe led £11 million ($13 million) Smart Energy Islands project aims to reduce the is-
lands’ reliance on imported fossil fuels and electricity. It should be completed by November. The scheme includes UKcompany PassivSystems’ cloud-based management systems in 100 homes (10% of the islands’ homes). It will then use artificial intelligence to learn patterns of consumption to balance supply and demand.
Calder: digital energy management to reduce costs
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PassivSystems’ technology will forecast energy demand and control the use of energy for heating, storage and generation. It will integrate with Hitachi’s Internet of Things platform and Moixa’s batteries. Ten homes will pilot a variety of additional smart energy technologies, including smart batteries by UKfirm Moixa and air source heat pumps. Colin Calder, chief executive PassivSystems, said: “This project will demonstrate the effectiveness of using leading-edge digital energy management systems to reduce costs, carbon and a community’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.” Solar panels will be installed on more than 70 council-owned homes, on
the islands’ fire station, the recycling facility and desalination plant, and in a solar garden by the airport (subject to planning). The project aims to meet 40% of the islands’ energy demand through renewables and enable 40% of vehicles to be electric or lowcarbon by 2025. A pilot vehicle-to-grid system will use learning algorithms to keep an electric van battery at a state of charge that will allow it to support the islands’ grid when not being used. The not-for-profit Isles of Scilly Community Venture, will sell power generated by the panels and recycle the income to reduce electricity bills for all islanders through a special energy tariff that is to be launched this summer.
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS
New electrodes open could pave way for faster cycling of lithium ion in ESS UK researchers from Cambridge University’s science department announced on July 25 they had identified a group of materials that would increase the cycling efficiency of lithium ion batteries — opening up the possibility of large-scale storage for renewables. The researchers used materials, known as niobium tungsten oxides, to create a crystalline structure that allows lithium ions to move through them faster than typical electrode materials. The results are reported in the journal Nature. Researchers have previously tried to increase performance by making electrode material particles smaller — but it caused unwanted chemical reactions with the electrolyte, shortening the battery life. Professor Clare Grey, one of the paper’s senior authors, said: “Nanoparticles are challenging to work with on a practical level, as they tend to be quite ‘fluffy’, so it’s difficult to pack them tightly together, which is key for a battery’s volumetric energy density.” Most anodes in lithium ion batteries use high energy density graphite, which can form dendrites when charged at high rates. Although the oxides do lead to a lower cell voltage than some electrode materials, the operating voltage is beneficial for safety and the high lithium transport rates mean that when cycling fast, the practical (usable) energy density of these materials remains high, said a statement from the university. While the oxides may only be suited for certain applications, Grey says the important thing is to keep looking for new chemistries and new materials. “Fields stagnate if you don’t keep looking for new compounds,” she says. “These interesting materials give us a good insight into how we might design higher rate electrode materials.”
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Professor Clare Grey: packing nanoparticles together is ... “key for a battery’s volumetric energy density”
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COVER STORY: THE GREAT COBALT CONUNDRUM Better electric vehicles need better batteries. And better batteries need cobalt to give them better power and driving range. The trouble is cobalt will soon be in short supply. And the implications of this will spill over into the smart grids of the future.
Long on promise…
but short on reality Perhaps it’s time to make the unthinkable thinkable. The EV revolution is set to stall in a few years’ time. The reason is simple. Cobalt. Or rather, the future lack of it. That’s not to say that EVs are going to go away — rather the opposite. But the exponential growth that had been forecast for the 2020s is starting to seem improbable. What one commentator has called ‘the cobalt cliff’ is looming — a shortage of the metal so acute that only a sea-change in technology will make mass adoption of EVs possible. And it’s all the more important in that the world of renewable energy shouldn’t see cobalt in isolation. Shortages in lithium and nickel are possible too, if a little unlikely. Almost impossibly huge amounts of copper will also be needed, just for the wiring, Since the turn of the last century, when faced with a shortage of anything, the general assumption has been that the price of anything follows the supply/demand principle. If supply goes up and demand doesn’t change, the price goes down. If demand goes up and supply doesn’t move, prices go up. But what if there is little available?
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“Most of us grew up in extraordinary times when the word ‘shortage’ meant ‘it will cost more but you can still get all you want if your wallet is deep enough,’” says John Petersen, a corporate lawyer with a lifetime of ex-
perience in the battery and energy industry. “With each passing day, I’m increasingly convinced that the cobalt cliff will teach all of us that the word ‘shortage’ means ‘not available in sufficient quantities at any price.’” Petersen’s view — a cynical one but based on a long study of energy markets and a belief that investor appetite has frequently been duped — reckons that the fundamentals of supply and demand haven’t changed but the effective monopolies in place for the metal have distorted the picture. (Read some of his analysis in the feature that follows.) Petersen is not a lone voice crying out in the wilderness. For the last year and a half financial markets have increasingly been concerned about cobalt shortages. This was the view taken up by the recent report by the International Energy Agency on electric vehicles, when it warned that: “having the Democratic Republic of Congo as the supplier of almost 60% of the global production of cobalt is a risky business…. the situation is even worse if taking into account that China controls 90% of the capacity to refine and process raw cobalt.” For the metal analyst community, this should probably be most politely called
Building a million EVs per year with 60kWh NCM111 batteries will require 24,000 tonnes of cobalt per year — that’s almost 50% of the cobalt used by the battery industry last year Global demand for cobalt to increase fourfold by 2030
Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance
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COVER STORY: THE GREAT COBALT CONUNDRUM the statement of the blindingly obvious. The price of cobalt quadrupled from 2016 levels to peak at around $93,250 a tonne in the first quarter. (It has now drifted down to the $65,000/t levels following a market correction from the initial overshoot.) Part of the volatility in the price is due to the political instability within the country. If DRC supply fails where to turn to next? Previous price spikes aren’t infrequent. In 2009 a moratorium on exports caused cobalt to reach $115,000 a tonne. A decade before the DRC, then known as Zaire, was a tragic battleground for five years, mineral resources, such as copper as well as cobalt, proved essential to fund the conflict. This April, DRC state-owned miner Gecamines started legal proceedings to dissolve its Kamoto copper-cobalt operation with Glencore’s Katanga Mining. The dispute was resolved in June, but Katanga is one of the key new sources of supply for the cobalt market in the future. “Any disruption to its ramp up could cause the cobalt market to return to deficit in the coming years,” CRU Group senior analyst George Heppel said at the time. “If the big projects that are expected to come on stream do so, Glencore’s Katanga project and ERG’s RTR project in the DRC, if they bring the hydroxide that they’re expected to into the market next year or the year after and the year after that, we should have enough feedstock until around 20222023,” he said. But it is the years that follow this that could be the critical ones when demand for cobalt will soar. This will be part of yet a much larger lithium ion battery production aiming to match EV appetite that will hit all chemistry variants. Four years ago there was only one lithium ion gigafactory. Last year there were 25 in various stages of planning or construction. In 2018, there are now 40 on the record. Clearly it is more than likely that many of these will fail but demand for all elements — and most specifically cobalt — is part of this lithium battery boom. But for the EV sector, the emphasis is firmly on lithium cobalt variants. Cobalt’s use in lithium ion batteries has risen from 20% of total demand in 2006 to just over 50% in 2017 and some analysts predict this could climb to 55% this year. EV manufacturers have continued to emphasize that their vehicles are suit-
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JOINING THE DOTS … WHY THE EV MATTERS TO SMART GRIDS able for daily commute to work. However, despite a wall of propaganda, car buyers don’t like buying cars with a driving range of less than the equivalent of a tank of petrol. The answer for automotive OEMs has been to move to the higher energy density and power that lithium cobalt variants offer and a driving range in the couple of hundreds of miles. Another factor in the push for cobalt batteries has been the shift away from LiFePO4 batteries as the almost obligatory EV chemistry in China. Firms such as Shanshan, Nichia, L&F and Reshine are producing them. CALB and Sinopoly are also starting to produce NMC batteries. The shift has been endorsed by the Chinese government, which in January 2017 approved government subsidies for the first time to NMC battery vehicles. Government policy is aimed squarely at making the country the heart of EV battery and car production. It also sees no reason why it should sell its cobalt supplies — both raw and refined — to outside parties. Anecdotal evidence was that in 2017 China was buying cobalt battery scrap and warehousing it. However, for safety reasons, LiFePO4 will remain the obligatory chemistry for buses and public transport. NCA and NCM batteries have a much lower thermal runaway temperature in the 150°C to 210°C range. This year Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), a Hong Kong private company with manufacturing based in Ningde, entered into a four-year cobalt supply contract with Glencore to allow it to develop NMC cathodes for Volkswagen. Analysts at UBS, the investment banking group, predict that LiFePO4 as a share of the cathode chemistry in EV sales will decline from around 56% now to just 11% by 2025. The industry solution to a shortage
If the goal of the perfect energy network of the future — one that seamlessly integrates renewable generation, distribution and storage — is to slash fossil fuel usage, then EVs are an integral part of the process. Most particularly they offer challenges and resources in various ways. One challenge is the vast amounts of electricity that would need to be generated to keep hundreds of millions of cars on the road. But they also offer a vast storage facility — a huge reservoir of energy that can be operated similar to a virtual power plant — in balancing electricity grids or timeshifting power loads as and when needed. The trouble is that if the EV revolution doesn’t take off then this vast pool of energy, potentially measured in the 10s of gigawatts, will be a badly needed resource that can never be tapped.
GLOBAL RESERVES BY COUNTRY DRC — 3.5 million tonnes Australia — 1.2 million tonnes Cuba — 500,000 tonnes Philippines — 280,000 tonnes Zambia — 270,000 tonnes Canada — 250,000 tonnes Russia — 250,000 tonnes Madagascar — 150,000 tonnes Papua New Guinea — 55,000 tonnes Various other countries hold a total of 560,000 tonnes of cobalt reserves, according to the US Geological Survey. The total world reserves figure sits at 7,100,000 tonnes, a figure that unchanged since 2003.
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COVER STORY: THE GREAT COBALT CONUNDRUM GRABBING A SHARE Protectionism isn’t just a Chinese phenomenon. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is trying to establish ways to ensure that Japanese car manufacturers have adequate cobalt supply chains. This July MITI announced plans to organize a joint procurement organization to lock down stable long-term cobalt supply chains for that country’s car manufacturers. The joint procurement organization will be formalized by next March and its mandate will be to secure ethical cobalt supplies by signing long-term contracts with cobalt producers and potentially investing in new cobalt projects with support from the government. One interesting twist to this is that Japan has discovered huge mineral wealth in its own exclusive economic zone underneath the sea. Hiroshige Seko, the minister for METI, said “We expect the presence of mineral ores in the ocean around Japan, of an amount that is greater than the domestic annual consumption. Based on the success of the experiment, we aim to start the development of domestic natural resources to lead the country in securing a stable supply of mineral resources.” But further out in the Pacific, free enterprise is alive and well too. A US private sector firm called Ocean Minerals LLC has reached an agreement with the Cook Islands government to prospect so-called “polymetallic nodules” in the countries exclusive economic zone. The EEZ is huge — 2 million km2 and about the landmass size of Mexico — and these nodules may contain some 15%-20% of the world’s cobalt. Mining the waters will be difficult since the minerals are at the bottom of the ocean which can in places be several miles deep. “If OML succeed in their endeavours, the resulting cobalt entering the market will change the price point of cobalt completely,” says one commentator.
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of cobalt and related price squeeze has been looking at ways to reduce the amount of cobalt in the battery mix or eliminate it all together. This has safety risks — cobalt helps keep the battery stable — as well as economic advantage. It is the most expensive raw material input. Nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cathodes — which were originally favoured by most vehicle makers — contain around a third cobalt with a chemical composition of 111: one part nickel, one part cobalt and one part manganese. They accounted for 39% of all EV battery cathodes in 2017 but, because of cheaper alternatives, are unlikely to be mass produced after 2020. The original NCM111 cathodes were these refined to NCM523 — five parts nickel, two cobalt and three manganese, and these are being mass produced. The next iteration, NCM622, reduces the cobalt further. The addition of greater nickel also increases the energy density. UBS analysts reckon that 20% of all cathode batteries will be constructed this way this year, peaking at 52% in two years’ time before gradually moving out of the picture completely by 2025. The eventual goal is to produce NCM811 in commercial quantities. This, however, is still years away from commercial adoption in scale. Anecdotal reports suggest that some trial plants in China are working on this but the mainstream projections, as per UBS analysts, are that 10% of all cathode chemistries will be in this format. By 2025 this will be some 80% of the market. Tesla Motors’ Elon Musk claims the cobalt content of its NCA — nickel cobalt aluminium — cathode chemistry is “already lower than next-generation cathodes that will be made by other cell producers with a nickel-manganesecobalt ratio of 811”, and talked of suggesting that cobalt use in its batteries would be reduced to “almost nothing”. Whether this is true is debatable. It’s probably not. However, one thing is clear in that his claims about developing batteries without cobalt is an exaggeration at best — Tesla is an assembler of lithium ion cells and manufacturer of batteries. It is not a developer or manufacturer. That work has been done by its suppliers Panasonic and Samsung.
Research firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence predicted that the move to 811 would not exceed 5% of total NCM cathode production until after 2020. It also said that reducing the cobalt would not necessarily lower cost: 811 cathodes need to be produced in an inert environment to prevent any reaction with the air. Any new cathode plant producing 811 would need to build a production line specific to these needs Worryingly for the EV market, the amount of cobalt required will clearly be huge if predictions for future EV batteries hold true. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence worked out three scenarios for adoption of NCM811 by 2026, when the lithium ion battery industry had grown to just under 1TWh. In 2017, the last full year of figures showed production levels of 50,000 tonnes of battery grade cobalt of a total mined market of 100,000 tonnes. The first of Benchmark’s scenarios assumed that NCM811 would represent 10% of the future cathode market total. The other 90% would be business as per the other NCM variants. Under this scenario, battery grade cobalt output would have to increase to 205,000 tonnes a year to meet the cobalt demands of the entire battery industry. Under a scenario where NCM811 equates to 25% of the cathode market, 193,000 tonnes of battery grade cobalt would be needed. “Under our most bullish scenario, where NCM811 is equal to a huge 40% of the NCM cathode market in 2026, the lithium ion battery industry will still require 180,000 tonnes of battery grade cobalt,” says a Benchmark report. “That is over a tripling of battery grade cobalt production last year and just under a doubling of the industry’s total annual production.” As supply concerns continue to hit the market, another option market participants are keeping their eyes open for is successful battery recycling. (See article on the following page.) According to metals analysts at CRU Group, cobalt from dead batteries could add 24,900 tonnes of supply by 2025. This is up from the present 7,100 tonnes but this is a drop in the ocean compared to the demand that is forecast.
“With each passing day, I’m convinced that the cobalt cliff will teach all of us that the word ‘shortage’ means ‘not available in sufficient quantities at any price’” www.energystoragejournal.com
COVER STORY: THE GREAT COBALT CONUNDRUM One energy storage myth is that a robust recycling infrastructure for used lithium-ion batteries will be built before the end of their useful lives. John Petersen, an early figure in warning over the potential lack of cobalt effecting EV production, explains where recycling value will be found— it’s mostly in cobalt — and why, despite the hopes of many, recycling many lithium battery types will always be a cost and never a benefit.
Somewhere over the rainbow… Recycling is one of those warm and fuzzy, yet incredibly mushy, terms that people just love to abuse. When discussions turn to battery recycling, the most common abuses are: • Technology transference, where profitable recycling of lead-acid batteries is treated as irrefutable proof that lithium-ion batteries can be profitably recycled; and • Temporal reification, where hypothetical infrastructure and facilities that won’t be needed for decades are treated as concrete current realities. In 2009, the US Department of Energy was authorized to dole out $2 billion in ARRA battery manufacturing grants. The only category that was not fully awarded was “Area of Interest 4: Advanced Lithium ion Battery Recycling Facilities” which earmarked $25 million for two $12.5 million awards. Since the solicitation only drew one credible application for $9.5 million, the remaining $15.5 million was never awarded. Whenever there are no takers for free government money, it says something. Since a clearly stated analytical framework is essential to any logical discussion of recycling issues, I’ll adhere to the following framework in this discussion: • The principal goal of the recycling industry is to earn a profit by recovering valuable materials from endof-life products and selling them for use in new products; • The environmental benefits of recycling are serendipitous collateral outcomes that have no significant impact on recyclers’ bottom lines; • Post-life processes that do not recover sufficient valuable materials to offset processing costs are waste management, not recycling; and
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• While some lithium-ion battery chemistries are likely to be recycled in the future, others will almost certainly be persistent waste management problems. To recycle lead-acid batteries, you shred them and dump everything into a water bath where the plastic floats and the metal sinks. Then you skim the plastic off the top, smelt the metal to remove impurities and process the bath water to reclaim sulfuric acid. The recovered lead, plastics and acid are all suitable for reuse in new batteries. The process is simple, clean and profitable because a tonne of batteries contains about 700kg of lead with a value of $1,400. In the US, lead acid batteries have 99.3% recycling rate and recycled lead meets over 80% of battery industry demand. It’s an almost perfect closed loop system where substantially all of the materials used in lead-acid batteries are recycled and reused over and over again.
One of the most pervasive and enduring myths in energy storage is that a robust recycling infrastructure for used lithium-ion batteries will be built before batteries that are being made today reach the end of their useful lives. In the worst-case, advocates claim used lithium-ion batteries will be stockpiled in warehouses until there are enough used batteries to justify the build-out of recycling infrastructure. The numbers tell a different story. For over a decade, the single-minded obsession of all lithium-ion battery developers has been to reduce costs to a point where using batteries as a substitute for a fuel tank makes economic sense. Much of the progress to date has come from substituting cheap raw materials like iron, manganese and titanium for more costly cobalt and nickel. Unfortunately, when you reduce the cost of the materials that go into a battery you reduce the value of the materials that can be recovered from that battery at the end of its useful life.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 29
COVER STORY: THE GREAT COBALT CONUNDRUM For over a decade, the single-minded obsession of all lithium-ion battery developers has been to reduce costs to a point where batteries as a substitute for a fuel tank makes economic sense … Unfortunately, when you reduce the cost of the materials that go into a battery you reduce the value of what can be recovered from that battery at the end of its useful life The schematic below comes from a recent CSIRO report on lithium-ion battery recycling and shows the basic construction of a lithium-ion cell and the mass contributions of several key components. The graph below was created using forecast data from a 2017 UBS analysis of nickel demand for EV batteries that predicts LFP (green line) will lose 80% of its market share by 2025 while NCM-811 (red line) becomes the industry standard.
From a recycling perspective, the valuable materials in a typical lithiumion cell include lithium, cobalt and nickel. While, more common metals including manganese, copper and aluminum have modest values, they pale in comparison to the technology metal values. The table at the bottom of the page summarizes the principal metal values embodied in a tonne of lithiumion cells. The first important takeaway is that lithium values are far from insignifi-
UBS EV battery chemistry forecast 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
2017
2018
2019
LFP
2020
NCA
2021
NCM111
2022
2023
NCM 622
2024
2025
NCM 811
cant. While the average US price for lithium-carbonate was $13,600 per tonne in 2017, most analysts overlook the fact that lithium carbonate is 81.8% carbon and oxygen and only 18.2% lithium. When you adjust the market price of lithium carbonate for worthless carbon and oxygen fractions, the effective price for the lithium-metal fraction is $71.50 per kg — more costly than cobalt. The second important takeaway is that at current prices, LFP and LMO don’t have enough embodied metal value to cover pack disassembly costs, much less metal recovery costs. While the net values won’t necessarily be a bonanza because the recycling processes will almost certainly be complex and costly, there appears to be enough value to incentivize the recycling industry. At present, the technologies required to effectively recycle lithium-ion batteries and recover the embodied metal values are both complex and poorly developed. If you shred a lithium-ion battery, the lithium will react with moisture in the air and ignite the electrolyte and separators. While cryogenic and inert atmosphere techniques minimize combustion risk, they’re expensive in practice. Once you overcome the combustion risk and shred lithium-ion batteries you end up with small pieces of metal foil that are coated with multi-metal or carbon powders. Here too, there are ways to separate battery shreds into purer waste streams, but they’re expensive. Between the costs of fire prevention, ma-
At current prices, LFP and LMO don’t have enough embodied metal value to cover pack disassembly costs, much less metal recovery costs — post-life processing will always be waste management Embodied metal value per tonne of cells
Li Co
$13.50
$2.00
$6.00
Al Total
$71.50
LCO
$1,775 $13,594 $240 $438 $16,046
NCM-111
$1,811 $4,579 $954 $132 $240 $438 $8,155
NCM-622
$1,792 $2,745 $1,717
$79
$240 $438 $7,011
NCM-811
$1,785 $1,368 $2,281
$40
$240 $438 $6,151
NCA-84,12,4
$1,802 $1,656 $2,417
$240 $438 $6,553
LFP
$1,101 $240 $438 $1,779
LMO
$64.50
Ni Mn Cu
Spot metal price ($/kg)
$2.00
$961 $425 $240 $438 $2,064
Note: The table does not adjust embodied metal values for pack disassembly costs which are typically estimated in the $2,000 per tonne of cells range
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COVER STORY: THE GREAT COBALT CONUNDRUM terial separation and recycling, it’s a big challenge. If you decide to shortcut the process and simply toss scrap batteries into a UHT furnace, the separators and electrolytes contribute a little process heat, the nickel, copper, cobalt, iron and manganese are recovered in a multimetal alloy that’s difficult to separate into pure metals, and the lithium and aluminum are recovered in a slag. The alloy and the slag must then be further processed with hydro-metallurgical techniques to recover commodity grade metals.
Future landscape
While I would be hard-pressed to accurately describe the likely near-term evolution of battery repurposing and recycling, Creation Inn, a UK consulting firm, released a comprehensive report in January 2018 titled, “Circular opportunities in the lithium ion industry; analysis of the global end-of-life market for lithium ion batteries.” I was intrigued when I read a summary of Creation Inn’s conclusions in an online article. I was delighted when Creation Inn agreed to send me a courtesy copy of their report. It’s a comprehensive, engaging and thoroughly impressive piece of work; an eye-opener that discussed a variety of used battery market dynamics I didn’t know existed. Frankly, I think anyone who’s contemplating a major investment in a battery recycling venture should consider buying a copy of the report before making a decision. The first point the report drove home was that many believe used cells in EV battery packs will have significant remaining capacity when the pack is replaced or the EV is taken out of service. The logic is pretty straightforward. EVs are not a difficult duty cycle for batteries because: Daily depth of discharge is shallow because most EVs offer 100 to 300 miles of range while the average owner drives less than 50 miles a day; and Charge and discharge rates are gentle because charging at home takes several hours and urban commuting typically includes significant low speed segments. Therefore, the cells in an automotive battery pack should have significant remaining capacity when the pack is taken out of service in a vehicle. While I’ve always assumed that potential customers would resist combining old cells with new control systems, cooling systems and housings, it’s undoubtedly a business that end-of-life battery own-
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After adjusting for estimated pack disassembly costs of $2,000 per tonne, the net embodied metal values of NCM and NCA chemistries compare favorably to lead acid batteries that contain about $1,400 worth of metals per tonne ers will want to pursue to maximize the value of their battery investments. The second and more important point the report drove home was that lithium-ion battery recycling is not likely to be a business where technology wins. The report identifies seven recyclers in Europe, only one of which is public, three recyclers in North America, none of which are public, and four more recyclers in Asia, none of which are public. It also mentions several companies that are working to develop new hydrometallurgical techniques for processing old batteries. At the end of the day, Creation Inn is not convinced that
there is or will be a “best” technical solution or that the best will be significantly better than the “second-best,” the “third-best,” or, for that matter, the “tenth-best. The primary factor that will drive success or failure in the battery recycling business will be control over a reliable stream of used batteries that can be used as feedstock because a reliable flow of cheap feedstock is the life’s blood of every successful recycling venture. A day may come when cost-effective recycling for some classes of lithiumion batteries is a reality, but for now that day is somewhere over the rainbow.
HISTORICAL IMPEDIMENTS While the technical challenges of lithium-ion battery recycling are real, there are solutions and historically non-technical problems have been more important. The impediments include: Low metal prices — technology metal prices trended downward from 2010 through 2015 and market prices for lithium and cobalt have almost tripled in the last two years, so the attractive recoverable metal values in the table are a recent development. Small battery sizes — lithium-batteries historically ranged from 10Wh to 50Wh of capacity and weighed from 2 to 10 ounces, so it takes thousands of used batteries to generate a ton of recycling feedstock. No infrastructure — while used lead-acid batteries are invariably returned to avoid a core charge when a new battery is installed, there is no established infrastructure to collect, package and transport used lithium-ion batteries for recycling. No reliable supply chains — without a collection infrastructure, there can be no reliable supply chains and the biggest challenge most recyclers face is sourcing enough batteries to keep facilities operating at acceptable capacity utilization rates. Very high costs — collectively, small battery sizes, high collection and logistics costs, and unreliable supply chains increase recycling costs to a point where it’s cheaper to discard used batteries than it would be to recycle them. Substantial exports in e-waste — the collection, refurbishment and resale or recycling of used electronic devices, or e-waste, is big business and when battery powered devices enter the e-waste stream, their used batteries go along for the ride. The economics of lithium-ion battery recycling will change if EVs become mainstream because recycling automotive battery packs will be cheaper and the logistics simpler. The timing of those changes, however, is almost impossible to predict because of uncertainties arising from second life applications.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 31
LEAD/LITHIUM HYBRIDS When it comes to choosing the chemistry for an energy storage system most project managers opt for either lithium ion or lead batteries. But some pioneering companies are combining the energy density benefits of one with the safety and cost advantages of the other. Paul Crompton reports.
The best of both worlds
Two Germany-based companies — Balance of Systems (BoS) and Hoppecke — are bringing lead and lithium battery chemistries together in hybrid stationary applications. In these hybrid systems, the leadbased battery provides backup power while the more expensive lithium batteries — costing as much as $400/ per kWh — are used for the daily cycles. Lead remains a good choice for backup applications because the chemistry is best left fully charged to avoid sulphation and its life cycle cost per kWh remains competitive — from $131 for flooded lead-acid to more than $200 for VRLA — once it does not have to be charged and discharged daily. Jonas Meyer, sales and business development manager at Hoppecke, says that although there is a wide variety of battery storage technologies, each with its own distinct properties and advantages, lead-acid and lithium ion are primarily the industry’s focus for industrial stationary applications. By combining both technologies,
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developers and manufacturers can increase the system’s overall performance, including increasing reliability and safety, while having high performance parameters regarding cycle lifetime and discharge performance. “Lithium ion batteries have a strong performance regarding energy density, cycle lifetime and charging time,” Meyer says. “The high performance of lithium ion batteries comes at the cost of safety, which is caused by a lower chemical stability. If a lithium ion battery is operated outside safe operation parameters it can easily become a fire hazard. “Lead batteries show high safety and reliability, bring a great value for money and are a proven concept. Lead batteries have been used in industrial applications for many decades, which brings a great trust to this proven technology.” Thomas Kündiger, chief technology manager at BoS, says when it comes to price and ease of deployment, lead batteries are still a cheap and reliable backup battery and many systems are
built to work with lead batteries only.
Working together
So how do the two contrasting technologies fit together? Imagine a standard 12V lead acid battery system, like any off grid PV system or a motorhome, says Kündiger. “When the lead acid battery gets charged, the charger will switch from constant current charge to constant voltage charge. “Constant voltage charge means that there is more energy available than the lead acid battery can charge. Now our extension battery, connected in parallel to the lead acid battery, recognizes that there is constant voltage charge at appropriate voltage level and charges the lithium battery by all the over-plusses that the lead acid battery can’t take.” In the case of high power demand the batteries can also discharge in parallel to avoid high C rates in the lead acid battery, says Kündiger. This enables the system to fit in well with regular lead battery chargers. “Once the sun goes down we first discharge the lithium battery, keeping the lead acid battery and loads around 13V,” Kündiger says. “The lead acid battery does not get discharged yet. This way we keep the lead acid battery at high SoC, while the lithium battery is doing most of the cycles.” At the moment they only combine lead acid with LiFePo4 cells, but the company is looking at matching this with other lithium chemistries. Hoppecke’s hybrid system allows the coupling of the two technologies on the DC bus of a specially designed inverter system. The inverter system controls each battery string as an independent system. This allows the company’s energy management system to operate the hybrid system at the point of highest system efficiency to maximize the lifetime and benefits of the overall system.
Price wars
Hoppecke and BoS say that a system using lead batteries is cheaper, overall. But does the argument of using lead because of cost still hold weight?
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LEAD/LITHIUM HYBRIDS By using the combination, Meyer says it is possible to bring down the cost of the total system by up to 30% compared with a purely lithium ion based system. But what if the price of lithium ion battery packs continues to fall? During Tesla’s 2018 annual shareholders’ meeting in June, company CEO Elon Musk made a claim that at the cell level the company could ‘possibly’ do better than $100/kWh ‘maybe later this year’. This, he said, was dependent on stable commodity prices. “With further improvements to the cell chemistry, the production process, and more vertical integration on the cell side, for example, integrating the production of cathode and anode materials at the gigafactory, and improved design of the module and pack, we think long-term we can get below $100/kWh at the pack level,” he said. Clearly this is debatable but lithium ion cell prices have steadily fallen in the past few years. Putting aside concerns around cobalt, lithium and nickel supply as demand increases, that trend looks set to continue. While there might still be room to cut the production costs of lithium ion batteries, those costs can never be less than the cost of the raw materials needed for the batteries. “Taking into consideration the strong increase of prices for lithium, nickel and cobalt in recent years, it is obvious that lithium ion batteries don’t have unlimited room for further price falls,” says Meyer. “The massive increase in demand for lithium ion batteries, which is mainly coming from the automotive sector, is another factor that won’t necessarily support a strong price decrease.” That demand from the automotive industry is still a prediction, however. The forecast for electric vehicle adoption does not necessarily match the reality. In it’s Global outlook 2017 report the International Energy Agency stated that although registrations of electric cars hit a new record in 2016, with more than 750,000 sales worldwide, the market had shown a slowdown in growth rate compared with previous years The report noted that despite the decline, maintaining the 2016 rate of growth over the following years would still allow vehicle OEMs to meet their sales and stock objectives for 2025.
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By combining both technologies, developers and manufacturers can increase the system’s overall performance, including increasing reliability and safety while having high performance parameters regarding cycle lifetime and discharge performance. But for now, Kündiger believes that price/kWh is still a valid argument since the cell prices are cheaper than end-customer prices at the system level. “So in 2020 there might be applications that Musk can power with his $100/kWh battery cells but there will be enough systems remaining at the higher price level as well,” he says. “Also, there are many systems which were originally designed for lead batteries where the hybrid battery is still an appropriate solution. Also, in many places of the world it is still difficult to import large lithium batteries, so there the modular small lithium batteries will support large lead batteries.” Another key point when discussing the two chemistries is recycling. The industry is still waiting for a fully formed strategy and technique for recycling lithium ion, especially to access those key materials, cobalt, nickel and lithium. Meyer says: “Lead batteries are one of the most and best recycled products. Due to the recycling process of lead batteries around 99% of the material can be reused for the production of new lead batteries.” Hoppecke operates its own lead acid battery recycling facility in Germany. However, the arguments for lead batteries don’t rely on the cost and recycling advantages but more importantly on the high reliability and safety of acid-based batteries. This is of special interest to applications where the batteries are the last resort back-up as in large power stations or data-centres, where a malfunction of the battery system can lead to high monetary losses.
Emerging markets
Before wide-scale adoption, the question of what applications do lead/ lithium hybrid systems best suit must be answered. Meyer believes that the systems can operate in any application that requires large numbers of small cycles but also require a large back up capacity several times a year. “The high number of small cycles will be covered by the lithium ion part of the system,” he says. “The large
back up capacity is given by a reliable, more economic lead battery system. “These applications can be the timeshifting of renewable power generation, peak-shaving and frequency regulation, just to name a few.” Kündiger says a hybrid system could be used in all applications that currently use lead batteries, and which require both cheap backup capacity and daily cycling. BoS’ smallest unit uses a 300Wh lithium battery with a 12V 100Ah lead acid battery. So this is not for grid-scale applications but better suited for home storage, caravans, mobile homes and even remote PV-powered traffic signals. BoS has ventured into minigrids. A project in Nigeria powers a village using the firm’s hybrid systems with its GSM monitoring platform. Another in India uses a DC minigrid to deliver power to 100 households in a village in Uttar Pradesh, which has limited access to the main power grid. The project was delivered with the German Energy Agency and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in 2017.
Choosing the chemistry
Hoppecke uses valve regulated lead acid AGM batteries in its hybrid system, especially in applications where there is the potential for a high variety of requirements. For the lithium ion part, Meyer says the company favours the superior performance of NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) technology. “Combining the lithium NMC and VRLA AGM batteries ultimately covers a large range of performance parameters for the overall BESS,” he says. Because BoS’ system puts all the excess energy into the lithium battery, they find all common lithium chemistries work, while on the lead acid side, because the battery does not need better charge acceptance, since there are more hours to slowly charge to 100%, the company’s system could use cheap standard lead batteries for most backup purposes.
Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 33
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STORAGE As traditional methods of power generation, from nuclear plants to gaspeakers, are phased out for greener alternatives, the biggest concern will be how to deliver terawatts of power from renewables. Paul Crompton asks, is ammonia the key to delivering a secure, cost effective and green power supply?
Kicking up a stink! Ammonia to be next energy storage disrupter Electrochemical technology is still in its infancy when it comes to storing energy, and that is certainly true when it comes to the terawatt-scale required to run a country. Natural gas and potentially ammonia could hold the key to the world’s transition to a decarbonized future. And two projects run by Siemens — one in the UK and one in Denmark — are key to demonstrating that alternative approaches to energy storage may be more than viable. “We are familiar with chemical energy storage today, it’s just that in all of our chemical energy stores the fuels we use are carbon based and that’s an issue with CO2 emissions,” says Ian Wilkinson, programme manager, Siemens Corporate Technologies. “We are looking at an alternative fuel that’s carbon free but can potentially store and be an energy vector to transporting green energy in the kind of scale we are used to in the oil and gas industries; so in the gigawatt hours scale.” It means ammonia is not a direct competitor to batteries, which have their sweet spot for more modest durations, a few minutes to hours, and more modest capacities, a few megawatt hours, and few tens of megawatt hours storage capacity. While the world’s energy consumption is growing, power production from oil and nuclear is falling. In the UK some of that shortfall is being filled in the form of wind, solar and hydro, with capacity from bioenergy generation rising for the third consecutive year in 2017. Although batteries and flow machine energy storage is the darling
34 • Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018
of the mainstream media, those in the know question whether relatively small electrochemical projects — the biggest lithium ion energy storage system is a 100MW project in South Australia, and the majority are in the low double-digit MW range — can fulfil the energy demands of even a small country such as the UK. A look at the UK power market
shows that 20% of its electricity comes from renewable sources, but electricity generation is only around a quarter of the UK’s energy usage. Mobility and heat account for 75%80% and these use fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil. Those numbers show the UK’s domestic renewable energy production is unable to meet energy demand. To-
“Particular markets are now coming on that start to make batteries feasible on a reasonably modest scale …ammonia only makes sense if you want to go big and a long distance” — Ian Wilkinson, Siemens www.energystoragejournal.com
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STORAGE Siemens’ two prototype plants in the UK and Denmark aim to show how ammonia can unlock the future of large-scale storage to deliver seasonal shifts of power on the grid and power electric vehicles day, the UK brings in 4GW of power through interconnectors — large-scale power lines connecting the UK to mainland Europe. This moving of energy between the source of production and demand on an international basis is where stationary energy storage projects fail, but where ammonia comes to the fore. “Ammonia only makes sense if you want to go big and a long distance,” said Wilkinson. “If you want a carbon free energy vector to get this energy out of these renewable resource-rich areas to, for example, western Europe, then ammonia could be part of that picture. “Particular markets are now coming on that start to make batteries feasible on a reasonably modest scale; we are starting to think about smart grids and energy usage, EV charging and things like that, but it’s a big challenge economically, rather than technically and that remains true for ammonia for electricity use. “So you might want to start considering ammonia to efficiently shift the energy in bulk from distant centres of production to centres of consumption. Within this whole decarbonization is a massive change, I’m not sure people understand the scale of the challenge.” A bonus to using ammonia is the infrastructure for storing and transporting ammonia already exists, around 180 million tonnes a year is produced worldwide already. It has various uses, notably as an essential ingredient in artificial fertilisers used by farmers. And in this World Cup summer some countries nearly had to go without beer — a shortage of carbon dioxide gas (CO2 is a byproduct in ammonia production, with ammonia plants serving as one of the largest sources of food grade CO2 in Western Europe) — as ammonia plants closed for maintenance works and others suffered technical issues. The tankers to ship it around exist, the terminals to store it and pump it exist, the safe handling procedures, road transportation of ammonia happens, “so all that exists and we can piggy back all that, and that’s what makes it exciting,” said Wilkinson. Conventional methods of producing
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ammonia use fossil fuels. The prototypes will instead use a wind turbine to generate power. The UK project will use this energy to run an electrolysis machine that splits water into hydrogen oxide, and an air separation unit to remove nitrogen from the atmosphere. The two elements are then combined to make ammonia, which can be used to run gas turbine engines to generate power, or by ‘cracking’ it back into nitrogen and hydrogen for use in fuel cells to power electric vehicles. Wilkinson said: “The way to think about it is the fuels we use today are really hydrogen stores and its much easier to store the hydrogen if you hang it off a carbon atom first or a chain of carbon atoms to get hydrocarbon fuels. “What I’m doing in the UK is using nitrogen instead of carbon.” The objective of the UK demonstra-
tor is to show that the technology is fit for purpose and to enable Siemens to learn about operating the various technology components as a system. One of the challenges of such a system is to operate the ammonia synthesis intermittently, which is a design requirement if using renewable power from the wind turbine. Many existing ammonia plants are designed to run continuously to make them productively and financially efficient. The challenge for Wilkinson and his team will be in how to optimize the plant for this intermittent process: when is the best time to charge and discharge, and what impact does that have of the synthesis step. “That’s what we want to learn, and will begin to learn with this system,” said Wilkinson.
Proof of concept
But while the infrastructure exists, the technology to make carbon-free ammonia does not. That is why German technology conglomerate Siemens’ two prototype plants in the UK and Denmark aim to show how ammonia can unlock the future of large-scale storage to deliver seasonal shifts of power on
“One solution may be the use of surplus wind-based electricity to produce eco-friendly ammonia. This solution would offer double benefits: using the surplus energy that arises in peak wind situations, and creating a new, sustainable product we call ‘green’ ammonia” — Jens Schiersing Thomsen, Siemens Gamesa Energy Storage Journal • Autumn 2018 • 35
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STORAGE the grid and power electric vehicles. Both look at ammonia as a potential means of storing surplus energy from onshore and offshore wind farms. The system in the UK is the world’s first demonstrator of its type to close the cycle of renewable power using carbon free ammonia (NH3). Using a 30kW generator and 13kW electrolyser the project will explore the technology’s ability to disrupt the energy storage industry. Developed by Siemens, with the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the University of Oxford and Cardiff University, the system uses industry available components. The individual components are all mature technologies, which was one of the attractions to using them, said Wilkinson. However, it is the first time they have been fitted together to use ammonia to go from renewable electricity through to a green fuel back to renewable electricity. “I’m not inventing anything I’m innovating in the purest sense of the word in that I’m using existing technology to put together a new system to solve a new problem,” said Wilkinson. “And that new problem is how do we store and transport renewable energy in bulk.” The second project follows an agreement between Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Energifonden Skive to build a pilot plant at Greenlab Skive — a park for businesses integrating renewable energy, energy storage and resource efficiency near the town of Skive in northern Denmark. Initial investigations will include determining plant size and capacity. Senior key expert, Jens Schiersing Thomsen of Siemens Gamesa said: “In the green, sustainable energy supply systems of the future, one of our biggest challenges will be storing and converting energy and resources. “One solution may be the use of surplus wind-based electricity to produce
The lower heating value of ammonia is about 5MWh per tonne so the UK project has a 100GWh capacity in a 20,000 tonne ammonia tank — one just cannot do things that big with batteries, or at least economically eco-friendly ammonia. This solution would offer double benefits: using the surplus energy that arises in peak wind situations, and creating a new, sustainable product we call ‘green’ ammonia.”
Batteries versus ammonia
As lithium ion cell costs fall they might get bigger, but to date the largest deployed system remains Tesla’s project in South Australia. That system operates on the frequency control and ancillary services market, which requires sub-second response times. The ammonia system being tested in the UK cannot meet these requirements because its response time is in the minutes range because synthesizing the ammonia takes time and that process is not located near an engine to release the energy. “At scale you would be looking at a gas turbine to do this, and you can turn them on in about half an hour or so, but it’s not seconds or a few minutes like it is with batteries,” said Wilkinson. “There’s a whole host of energy storage technologies you can consider and we will need them all if we are to de-carbonize our energy systems. “But it’s not just electricity that we need to de-carbonize. That’s where a lot of the attention goes particularly with batteries, but if you look at mobility and heat they are almost totally carbon-based fuels today and that needs to change, and that’s what we are aiming to demonstrate with this project.”
Ammonia can be stored in tanks ranging from 2.5 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes depending on ambient temperatures and pressures. The lower heating value of ammonia is about 5MWh per tonne so the UK project has a 100GWh capacity in a 20,000 tonne ammonia tank and “you just cannot do things that big with batteries, or at least economically”, said Wilkinson. “It makes the transition over to a chemical fuel, you will have to take a hit in round trip efficiency but the cost of that capacity is so much lower that it wins at that scale and of course if you want to start moving that energy around ... because batteries are static. “The UK is a net energy importer. We are an island, yes we have interconnectors but they are very expensive and ammonia tanks exist today, you can do it now; it’s an intriguing possibility.” Ammonia has its place as a carbon free energy store and hydrogen vector. When discussing frequency control and the myriad of sub-second services required from a grid growing more reliant on renewables then batteries remains the best fit, for now Instead of second-by-second shifts in power on the grid, ammonia offers the chance to store huge amounts of power for seasonal time shifts in energy and into areas that need bulk storage from places that have the ability to generate it. As the UK keeps decommissioning coal-fired peaker and nuclear plants there will be an increasingly important role for ammonia storage.
TRANSPORTING HYDROGEN VIA AMMONIA In Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation — better known as CSIRO — has devised a method of transporting hydrogen in the form of ammonia as fuel for vehicles. The organization developed a metal membrane that separates ultra-high purity hydrogen from ammonia, while blocking all other gases.
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It simplifies the transportation and storage of hydrogen, which is a complex and relatively expensive process, by using liquid ammonia that can be reconverted back to hydrogen at the point of use — a modular unit used at, or near, a refuelling station. Hydrogen generated using the technology was demonstrated
in Queensland during August by powering Toyota’s Mirai and Hyundai’s Nexo vehicles. Following the demonstration, the technology will be increased in scale and deployed in several larger-scale demonstrations, in Australia and abroad. CSIRO’s chief executive Larry Marshall said the technology was a “watershed moment for energy”.
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CONFERENCE IN PRINT: LASER WELDING Using aluminium and copper for battery tab to cell welding improves electrical efficiency and battery module/battery pack performance. By David Van de Wall and Mark Boyle, Amada Miyachi America
Dissimilar metal joining through new lasers can boost battery performance Increasing battery life requires lower electrical resistance to reduce loss. New laser sources, including single mode fibre lasers and lasers with nanosecond pulses, provide an important opportunity to reduce resistance by enabling the joining of aluminium and copper battery tab material — reducing resistance and improving performance. Tests have shown the technology works well with metal thickness of less than 0.25mm, providing good pull and peel strengths in these dissimilar joints. This article concentrates on commonly used cylindrical cell batteries to explain the concept of dissimilar metal joining with lasers. The same technology can also be used for some other battery types, including pouch cells, which typically feature one aluminium and one copper tab that requires an electrical connection to the busbars. Most cylindrical battery cans are made of cold rolled steel that has been nickel-plated for corrosion resistance. Figure 1 shows one of the most common cells — lithium ion 18650. To connect multiple cells together, or connect one cell to outside equipment, a strap or tab must be connected to the battery. Historically, tabs were made of nickel, stainless steel, nickel plated steel, or Hilumin (an electro nickel-plated diffusion annealed steel strip) due to their similar properties and the ease with which they can create a fusion bond. These materials join well in a variety of welding techniques, including resistance spot welding, pulsed arc welding, and laser welding. As the demand for battery and battery pack performance
Figure 1: Typical cylindrical 18650 battery with its terminals
increases, new materials are being considered to improve current delivery. When we assume a certain type of battery is being used, the material of the two terminals of the battery is a given and can’t be changed by the battery module manufacturer. So a further optimizing of the electrical performance of the battery module requires consideration of dissimilar metal bonding to allow the usage of highly electrical conductive battery tabs to the battery terminals.
Dissimilar metal joining
Designers of battery packs for hybrid and electric automobiles, motorcycles, buses, heavy industrial vehicles, and hand-held power tools are looking for more energy to support the vehicle or device and increase its life. To do this, they must change the batteries’ electrode, isolator, and electrolyte, and lower its internal resistance to reduce energy losses on a battery cell level. The lower the loss, the more efficiently energy is stored in the battery. These improved batteries store more energy and can also charge and discharge faster, as measured by the battery’s C rate — the ratio between the charge/discharge acceptance and its capacity. The higher voltages and currents generated by improved batteries means the battery interconnection (battery tab) must improve its electrical conductivity. The higher electrical conductivity results in lower electrical losses when charging and discharging, so more electrical energy is available for the vehicle or device powered by the pack. By improving the electrical conductivity, the pack also stays cooler during operation, which provides additional performance and battery lifetime benefits. And clearly, improving battery performance lowers costs, because fewer batteries are required for a particular performance level. The three options for improving battery interconnect performance are using thicker tabs to carry more current, using different tab materials (for example, copper or aluminium) with higher conductivity, or creating a larger tab to battery pole contacting area. In the past, steel and nickel-based materials were com-
More recently, as batteries have moved towards higher capacity and higher ‘C’ values, designers have begun looking at using aluminium or copper materials for tabs to reduce electrical losses
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CONFERENCE IN PRINT: LASER WELDING monly welded to the cold rolled steel terminals. However, more recently, as batteries have moved towards higher capacity and higher ‘C’ values, designers have begun looking at using aluminium or copper materials for tabs to reduce electrical losses. See Figure 2. This rise in the use of dissimilar material welding comes with a variety of challenges for traditional welding options like pulsed Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) lasers, which typically make spots that are 0.5mm in diameter with one pulse. Each weld pulse takes between one and 10 milliseconds; depending on its power level, the laser can generate about 10 of these pulses every second. To create a joint with sufficient electrical and mechanical properties, between two and 50 welding spots must be placed on each battery pole. See Figure 3. This method worked well for the traditional battery tab materials because of their weldability. However, welding of dissimilar materials is significantly more challenging because of: • Different melting temperatures (see Table 1) • Different absorption coefficient of laser light • Incompatible chemistry and atomic structures Joining aluminium to stainless steel has always been an impossible welding combination. The mixing of these two metals creates a brittle intermetallic zone leading to weld cracks.
needs to be 10mm to 100mm per battery pole. To fit this on to the 3mm to 6mm diameter available on a battery pole, the line must be in a spiral shape or concentric circles, rather than spots. Using a galvo scanning weld head, the total weld can be very fast; it takes about 50 milliseconds of weld time. Another method of welding dissimilar metals is to concentrate the laser energy in time by using nanosecond pulsed fibre welding instead of the traditional millisecond pulse. The weld pulses are typically 100,000 times shorter, providing energy in a much shorter period. This increases the laser peak power level by the same amount. The spot size is also very small, about 30 to 40 microns. The high peak power on a small area results in
Table 1: Melting point of alloys Combination
Melting temperature (˚C)
Aluminium/Steel 660/1500 Aluminium/Copper 660/1080 Aluminium/Titanium 660/1700
Innovative laser welding
New laser technologies are rewriting the textbooks on which materials can be joined together. Single mode fibre lasers and lasers with nanosecond pulses are joining new combinations of metal that were previously not considered compatible. The single mode laser can be focused to spot diameters of 20-50 microns — smaller than the diameter of a human hair! This makes a very small welding line of 20-50 microns wide, which can be pulsed like a hot knife through butter to make a weld. The linear speed of this laser beam movement is typically in the 100mm/sec to 1000 mm/sec (4-inch-40-inch/second) range. See Figure 4 on next page. To create sufficient joint area, the length of this joint
Figure 2: Example of dissimilar metal welding: A highly electrical conductive aluminium battery tab on CRS steel improved battery module performance
Figure 3: Traditional laser weld of battery tab showing several large (200-600 micron) weld spots
Another method of welding dissimilar metals is to concentrate the laser energy in time by using nanosecond pulsed fibre welding instead of the traditional millisecond pulse
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CONFERENCE IN PRINT: LASER WELDING such a high peak power density that all metals are molten. This process can be best described as pushing a hot needle in the material and pulling it out again. The spots are very small, so a great many spots are needed, typically 10,000 or more. As the timeframe for creating one spot is very small, the laser can be fired at high repetition rates, typically 30kHz and above. The best method of getting enough weld spots with the nanosecond laser on a small area like a battery pole is to make a line coiled into a spiral. This spiral is typically
Figure 4: Copper battery tab welded with single mode laser
Figure 5: Example of a spiral weld
welded from the inside to the outside, so the laser beam always sees a fresh and cold piece of metal in front of it. If the laser went from the outside to the inside, there would be heat build-up and increased penetration depth towards the centre, as the part heats up during the welding. Figure 5 shows an example of a spiral weld made on aluminium tab material. Testing showed single layer shear strengths of around 44N (10lbs) and double layer shear strength at around 88N (20 lbs). Figure 6 is an application photo showing an aluminium battery tab welded to a nickel-plated cold rolled steel can using the spiral weld technique. A closer look at the cross sections reveals that the spot welds do not show the characteristic form of conventional pulsed spot welds — they more closely resemble multi-staking. The intermetallic zone was less than 10 microns. Pull strength was good and peel strength was adequate. There was barbed solidification of aluminium into steel. One example of the new technology is Amada Myachi’s 70W LMF70-HP OEM fibre laser, which can be integrated into the LMWS pulsed fibre laser welding system. The new technology is an advanced processing system for welding battery cans with wall thicknesses of 300-350 microns. It features shorter pulses, resulting in less mixing of materials, and hence less of an intermetallic zone and less brittleness with aluminium tab materials. This laser solution is good for contract manufacturing settings, where operators may be producing one product one day and something different the next. The XY galvo program quickly positions welds; a new program can be loaded in as little as five minutes, and operators can be ready to start the next product. New battery tab welding technologies widen the design portfolio by providing good solutions for dissimilar material joining.
THE PROMISE OF BETTER TECHNOLOGY
Figure 6: Using the spiral weld technique (left) and nickel-plated cold rolled steel can
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The new nanosecond pulsed fibre laser and the single mode fibre laser provide opportunities for dissimilar metal joining and show great potential as a solution for welding battery tabs to cells. Allowing for aluminium and copper tab material, which reduce electrical resistance and improve battery performance, the new technology shows great promise for a wide range of industries.
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EVENT REVIEW: EUROBAT EUROBAT AGM & Forum • Brussels, Belgium • June 14-15
Competitiveness, decarbonization and Europe’s energy storage future EUROBAT meetings are always different from other industry events. There’s very much the feel of a welcoming club and a friendly, if odd, routine with the way things operate. The AGM, always on the Thursday afternoon, is when the business of the organization is approved. This is followed by a classy dinner, typically in an interesting location — this year did not disappoint in an ancient Brussels library — and then a rush back to the hotel, either to the bar or to bed. But it is the following morning, at the forum, that things get quirky. But quirky in a good way. Some of the speakers would never be seen on the regular conference circuit, but are European Commission figures with some political or administrative clout. Irrespective of the correctness of their arguments they give the flavour of European policymaking. And, as the forum showed, some of that policymaking seemed — to many delegates at least — flawed. The underlying theme that dominated the presentations in the morning was how the European battery industry would deal with new regulations and a new business environment, yet still remain competitive. Specifically the forum addressed three issues — the first being the implications on battery development and manufacturing of the ever tighter rules on CO2 emissions. The short-term targets are well known and the push for e-Mobility is coming from the top. But how the route to achieve these goals will be made is looming over the issue. Huge questions over the ability to install, for example, the charging infrastructure have not been resolved. Perhaps the most interesting talk here came from Cian O’Dunlaing of Johnson Controls Power Solutions and chairman of the EUROBAT Starter-Lighting-Ignition working group who presented the opportunities for low-voltage electrification, from energy recuperation to 48V technology. For these applications, multiple technologies, particularly
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lithium ion and lead based batteries, will coexist for the foreseeable future to deliver CO2 savings. The second session looked at the sustainability considerations for batteries and the need for a coordinated approach to strike a balance between sustainability and industry growth. The issues were presented well but answers weren’t forthcoming. Shortages of nickel and cobalt could quite possibly happen in the next five years — at which point all this fine planning for coordination will fall by the wayside. The third session looked at the European Battery Alliance and the new EC Batteries Action Plan. Of necessity the presentations were interesting given the seriousness of the issues raised.
“The only hope of successfully making lithium batteries in Europe might possibly come if Volkswagen, for example, decided it needed to manufacture them for itself and take control of the supply chain.” Joanna Szychowska of DG Grow presented the plans of the European Commission to boost the competitiveness of the EU battery industry in the framework of the EU Battery Alliance. Her theme, effectively, was that now is the time to build a European lithium battery manufacturing capability. A bit late surely? This was followed by Christoph Neef of the Fraunhofer-Institute for Systems and Innovation Research who offered forecasts on li-ion battery production and their potential growth. Neef highlighted that Europe has the chance to manufacture its own battery cells, focusing on optimized LIBs or Li-based technologies in the short term and all-solidstate-batteries after 2025.
Talking to delegates afterwards the overwhelming impression was that both Szychowska and Neef were at least a decade too late in their thinking. “It’s a perfect example of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted,” one delegate told Batteries International. “These proposals should have been aired a long time before this. “Asia already has a stranglehold on this market, the Chinese and South Koreans have invested huge sums of money and refined their manufacturing technology. They already have huge economies of scale. Sadly for the Europeans, all their fine plans won’t make any economic sense at all.” Another delegate said: “We hear that the US DoE has unofficially accepted that the country can never catch up with the Chinese in lithium ion manufacturing. The US is pinning its hope for a new technology that will supplant this manufacturing process. “The only hope of successfully making lithium batteries in Europe might possibly come if Volkswagen, for example, decided it needed to manufacture them for itself and take control of the supply chain.” A more concrete speech came from Alistair Davidson of the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) who discussed the role of lead batteries in the future. He made the case that their versatility and price were being ignored and promised that step changes in their performance would be seen shortly. It was about the only time that lead batteries were discussed other than in passing. Rene Schroeder, executive director for EUROBAT led the proceedings and Johann-Friedrich Dempwolff, its president, opened the sessions. More than 100 delegates attended. In all this year’s EUROBAT meetings proved as thought provoking as ever — if in unsuspected ways — and an excellent opportunity to meet the cream of Europe’s battery industry. EUROBAT AGM and Forum 2019 will be held on June 13-14 in Berlin, Germany.
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EVENT REVIEW: THE BATTERY SHOW EUROPE The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe Hanover, Germany • May 15-17
New perspectives on European EV architecture One of Europe’s largest battery and EV events just got bigger. Still only in its second year, The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe has experienced phenomenal growth, with more than a 50% increase in attendance on last year. The floor space doubled from the exhibition’s first year to 20,000m2, making room to accommodate 6,275 attendees from all corners of the world and representing the entire industry spectrum from OEMs, manufacturers, suppliers and stakeholders from a diverse range of markets. In the three-track conference, hundreds of delegates from top automotive sector companies vied for seating as crowds assembled to hear industry heavyweights tackle the hottest topics of the moment. It was standing-room only in many sessions as speakers from Volkswagen, Toyota, LG Chem, Daimler, McLaren F1, CATL, Renault-Nissan, BAIC and Tata Motors took to the stage. Questions were fired at the panels who discussed everything from 48V energy storage and powertrains to fast charging and lithium-ion cell and pack design and manufacture. The show floor was a hive of activity. Here, more than 350 exhibitors took the opportunity to reach an enormous base of potential customers. Popular showcases included Volkswagen’s display of the I.D Buzz electric campervan – an update of the iconic original for the digital-age traveller. At Caresoft’s stand, attendees experienced a virtual-reality tour of the subassembly of a Tesla Model X, Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt, including the battery systems, power management and electronics. Other interactive demonstrations included LEONI’s showcase of its EVC charging cables, which used visual monitoring to indicate the charging status of an electric car or plug-in hybrid vehicle, and LORD Corporation’s presentation of its broad portfolio of thermally conductive solutions
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for the EV powertrain. Drawing vast crowds to their stands with an impressive array of technology were Voltabox, showcasing its smart modular battery systems, and Siemens, sharing future-orientated battery production with an integrated digital value chain. Elaphe Propulsion Technologies bought along its ultimate powertrain platform for the next generation of electric and autonomous mobility solutions. With advanced power electronics and an intelligent and connected vehicle control, it delivers control features that up until now have been impossible. As ever Paraclete Energy proved popular, too, demonstrating the many advantages of its silicon metal-based SMSilicon. TE Connectivity unveiled its new high-voltage terminal and connector system, and Henkel AG showcased its flexible thermal solutions for EV powertrain applications. At HUBER+SUHNER’s stand, attendees were impressed by the company’s new highpower charging system, which allows the power throughput of a charging system to be multiplied. It boasts charging times below 15 minutes, bringing super-fast charging within reach. The conference also offered an opportunity to delve deeply into the knowledge pools of some of the industry’s most high-profile members. One stand-out interview was with Volkswagen’s CTO of e-mobility, Frank Bekemeier, who outlined plans to revolutionize the company’s car manufacturing business with pioneering electrification strategies. The interview set the tone for the conference, which hosted lively debates and got crowds contemplating the drivers behind current trends and the pivotal challenges ahead for the region’s EV and battery technology stakeholders. Certainly the organizers were able to attract a host of strong testimonials from senior figures within the in-
dustry. “The Battery Show provides a fantastic forum to understand all the latest trends and points of view in this fast changing and exciting industry,” said Ford Motor Company’s purchasing manager Jonas Malmqvist. “The event was highly enjoyable and resulted in a number of good contacts and potential customers to follow-up with,” said speaker and Skeleton Technologies’ CEO, Taavi Madiberk. Jaguar Land Rover’s energy storage expert, Limhi Somerville said, “This event gives me real access to see some of the challenges that are met at an end-user level and with companies that are really working with the end user in mind. The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe 2019 will be held in Stuttgart, Germany on May 7-9
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EVENT REVIEW: IFBF The International Flow Battery Forum • July 10-12 • Lausanne, Switzerland
Moving advances in flow batteries to the mainstream Monetizing live project experiences was one of just many themes of this year’s International Flow Battery Forum. This is the ninth in the series. Speaking on the opening day of this year’s forum, Wiebrand Kout, the founder of Dutch start-up Elestor gave plenty of business direction to the engineers and scientists who provide the backbone to new developments. In particular, he explained his company’s flow battery development strategy, and demonstrated that it is not necessary to have big buckets of cash to take a business from idea to commercial product in a few years. His idea for a flow battery programme evolved in 2014, when he looked at the HBr system — that was his step zero. Step 1 was to prove it works — and this was in his labs in 2015-2016. Step 2 was to understand the market. Battery conferences can be full of optimistic market predictions, as well as being full of pessimistic trouble makers citing commercialization problems of expensive materials, unfavourable market conditions, unsympathetic legislation and regulation and unfair business practices by almost everyone else. Going a little against the flow, Elestor’s team determined a suitable configuration for their product and in Step 3 the firm demonstrated three prototypes based on their 50kW sys-
tem. Their final step was to build the business, and with a letter of intent for a 1MWh system under their belt the firm is well on the way to achieving that goal. With the withdrawal of Enstorage from the HBr sector, Elestor has a strong commercial advantage that it is keen to exploit. Weibrand’s colleague, Natalie Mazur, pointed out in a more technically based presentation later in the conference that the new generation 3 module, built into a 20ft ISO shipping container, will have a simpler electrolyte management system, resulting in lower costs and giving a longer lifetime for the flow battery stacks. Elestor’s recent progress in developing HBr was not the only newsworthy bromine-based battery system discussed at the conference. Len Berlouis, a reader in pure and applied chemistry, from the University of Strathclyde, has been studying ZnBr systems for several years. The university runs the Power Networks Demonstration Centre at Cumbernauld, and has put many battery systems, including flow batteries, through their paces. Lotte Chemical tested a small ZnBr battery there, prior to the installation of a 250kWh system at the National Wind Energy Centre. In the next few months, a ZnBr battery will be installed at the Findhorn
Community in North East Scotland, where they will test the combination of PV, wind and storage in a real environment. In a world where large numbers of large scale lithium batteries are now commonplace, manufacturers, project developers and end users are keen to understand whether these early demonstrations are going to become mainstream and whether purchasers have confidence in their use. A few years ago, Jeroen de Veth, chief executive of the Dutch energy company Trinergie, reviewed the operation of a vanadium battery on a Dutch dairy farm. That vanadium battery had operated for five years and after its retirement, in May 2017, six Redflow zinc bromine modules were installed on the same farm. The 20kW/60kWh battery was chosen because of its compact size compared with other flow battery systems. The intention is to use the battery to demonstrate the opportunity to trade electricity and services with the network and the demonstration is expected to continue for a further four years to explore a broad range of business models. At current prices for trades in the electricity market, a reasonable profit is made in the short term, but this is not sufficient to guarantee repayment of the capital costs in the long term. So it seems that the technology is fine, but the underlying market struc-
THE SITE VISIT TO THE ELECTROMOBILITY LABORATORY AT EPFL
The whole forum was put into context with a visit to the electromobility laboratory at EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) in Martigny, where some solutions to the challenges of alternative fuelled transport were demonstrated. EPFL uses flow batteries to reinforce the power supplies to their EV chargers and hydrogen refuelling points and an integration with local renewables. It makes a clear point that flow batteries have arrived when they are in use in real applications.
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EVENT REVIEW: IFBF ture for buying and selling electricity is flawed, however given the many changes that are occurring in the industry, Trinergie is continuing with the trial to gain further experience. But irrespective of short termism in business models, the conference heard from many manufacturers about their latest developments and how these fitted into the commercial world of energy storage. It’s important that the technical side of the energy storage industry is exposed to market requirements — because for many years, scientists and engineers have pushed technology forward, only to find that there were few, if any, purchasers. It’s sad to look at the list of battery manufacturers that have tried and then walked away before reaching a commercial product. However, it’s satisfying to see so many manufacturers still in business and also to see a number of new manufacturers and developers keen to enter the market and grow a business in energy storage. One of the early developers of the all-vanadium system is Sumitomo Electric, from Japan. The firm reported on two installations, one in the US and one in Hokkaido. In California, a 2MW, 8MWh battery was used on a distribution sub station site. The battery was used in a daily cycling mode for peak shifting and also for local marginal price trading. The trial demonstrated that the battery could be used successfully and economically to defer distribution line upgrades. The test for energy arbitrage depends on a viable local market, and pending creation of a market any savings would only be virtual. Nevertheless, it showed that the technology could be successfully deployed. Meanwhile, in Hokkaido, a 15MW, 60MWh battery has been deployed to demonstrate mitigation of short duration and longer duration fluctuations in frequency deviation. This successfully shows the potential of flow batteries to provide large scale, high power and high energy, energy storage. Scott McGregor, chief executive of RedT, a company with more than 20 years in vanadium flow batteries, talked persuasively about his company being half technology and half business. At the tipping point where the cost of solar is going down, peak power
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prices are rising and ancillary services’ revenue is increasing, storage is now part of the language that customers understand. RedT has launched its third-generation flow machine, which is aimed at the commercial behindthe-meter market.
Optimism abounds There is a high level of optimism in the flow battery industry — with other manufacturers taking the opportunity to develop their technology into commercial products. Thyssen Krupp, well known for its expertise in heavy engineering, has used its skills in designing and building large electrochemical cells for the chlor-alkali industry to develop a modular large-scale flow battery. Each module is rated at 1MW and the firm’s demonstration and test module has already been shipped to a test site in Germany’s Black Forest. Gregor Polcyn, head of product management and technology at Thyssen, introduced his presentation by saying that the renewable age is unstoppable, and the world now needs an energy storage solution. This optimism, that the time is right for flow batteries, was also reflected by Mike Perry, a long-term expert on fuel cells working for United Technologies. The firm has taken expertise from its fuel cell program (a proven method of stack construction) into the flow battery arena, and as a result they have raised the power density of the vanadium flow battery stack about five fold, which leads to a substantial reduction in the battery capital cost. This has become a lynchpin in the commercialization strategy for the business. UT has transferred its IP into a new start-up company, Vionyx, to develop a substantial business opportunity based on a five-hour duration for energy storage. Energy storage policy in China is extremely positive, and with a compound growth rate of 55% it should be paradise for any seller of storage systems. Mianyan Huang, president and CTO of VRB Energy, reported that the Qinghai region in particular, in the north-west of the country, was the most favourable location for long duration storage because of the high penetration of PV and wind generation. He showed analysis illustrating that the lifetime cost of vanadium flow battery systems was less than half the
Conversations: Gary Yang from UET and Gregor Polcyn of Thyssen Krupp
cost of a comparable lithium system. At a national level, China expects to build a fleet of 100MW flow battery systems and VRB Energy has delivered the first 40 MW phase of a 100MW VRB project in Hubei. Some of the many suppliers to the flow battery industry took part in panel sessions to discuss issues of common interest. One observation, from an established industry player, was that almost everything supplied as components or materials to the flow battery industry has been transferred from another industry and few things have been specifically designed for flow battery use, as for example membranes or separators have come from the electrolysis or filtration sectors. Some 250 delegates attended the IFBF this year.
THE NEED FOR LONGER STORAGE One of the many questions that arises from considering five hour storage, is whether there is a real market need for it. It’s a deep question, with many angles, says one of the conference organizers. One point raised by Jeehyang Yu of H2 Inc, a South Korean company, is the overt support given to short duration lithium batteries. The South Korean government has an energy support programme, but which only supports lithium battery systems, which restricts the market penetration of other storage types. Nevertheless, three South Korean manufacturers are installing flow battery systems and longer duration storage is gaining ground. Jeehyang said H2 Inc is installing five flow battery systems in South Korea and some in overseas locations such as the Maldives.
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS ees South America August 28-30 • São Paulo, Brazil Intersolar South America will be hosting and highlighting the special exhibition “ees South America” to extend and round up electrical energy storage innovations and programs. 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
Solar and Storage Australia September 4-5 Sydney, Australia We are delighted to announce the dates for our upcoming event Solar & Storage Australia. The event will be held on the 4-5 of September in Sydney. We are also pleased to announce the involvement of Inaccess as a supporting sponsor for the event. The event will gather: • Solar & storage developers • Investors and financiers from all over the world • Utilities • Grid operators • Large energy users • Flexibility providers
systems with increasing amounts of renewable energy sources attracting investors, utilities, installers, manufacturers and project developers from all over the world.
Contact Olivia Hsu Tel: +49 7231 58598 16 Email: hsu@solarpromotion.de www.intersolar.net.br
To discuss amongst other topics: • How to participate in 3.5GW market • How to finance PPAs with various tenures and structures • What revenue stacks for energy storage look like now and what they will look like in the future • Flexibility and demand response advancement • The role of storage as grid investment deferral • Regional roundtable focus • CASE STUDY parades • R&D made in Australia
International Renewable Energy Forum
Contact Corinna Algranti Tel: +44 207 871 0122 www.australia.solarenergyevents.com
Sydney: the new nexus for solar and storage
Vienna, Austria September 6-7 ICT Solutions presents its International Renewable Energy Forum 2018 which will be hosted on the 6th and 7th of September in Vienna, Austria. Bringing together Renewable Energy Experts / Professionals /Leaders from across the globe. These two days our delegates will have the opportunity to see, listen and join in highly interactive Panel Discussions, Q+A Sessions to understand the latest trends in Renewable Energy, How to Access Green Finance, Corporate Renewable Power Purchase Agreements, Renewable Energy Investment in Europe in Biomass. Contact Tel: 0036 7029 60 374 info@ict-solutions-hu.com www.ict-solutions-hu.com/internationalrenewable-energy-forum/
International Renewable Energy Forum, a new dawn awaits ...
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS 16th European Lead Battery Conference and Exhibition (ELBC) September 4-7 • Vienna, Austria Up to 800 delegates are expected to attend from sectors including: • battery manufactures • researchers • equipment and materials suppliers • end users from automotive, industrial and energy storage sectors.
This is your chance to hear from and meet the technical champions and industry experts who are setting the pace for the next generation of lead batteries, at an event with the industry’s most comprehensive technical conference programme. The 16ELBC is the largest global gathering of lead battery experts in 2018, bringing together all those involved in the development, production and use of lead batteries.
Topics will include: • Consumer requirements for current and future automotive, industrial, utility, smart-grid and renewable energy storage applications. • Achievements in using carbons in lead batteries, and future research directions. • Development of full electrochemical models to simulate processes in carbon enhanced lead batteries. • Additives to the negative or positive active mass or electrolyte. • Gas evolution and water loss in relation to Dynamic
Charge Acceptance (DCA) improvements. • Improving lifetimes and deep cycle life of lead batteries for industrial, utility, smart-grid and renewable energy storage applications. • Harmonization of testing standards. • Battery testing method improvements. • Development and use of advanced analytical techniques, basic science methods and materials engineering for lead battery research. • Future production requirements in terms of quality control, impurities, raw materials, manufacturing and next generation equipment. Contact Maura McDermott Tel: +44 20 7833 8090 Email: 16elbc@ila-lead.org www.ila-lead.org/16elbc
The Battery Show North America Novi, Michigan, USA • September 11-13 The Battery Show is the largest showcase of advanced battery technology in North America, displaying thousands of design, production and manufacturing solutions including battery systems, materials, components, testing and recycling. With more than 600 manufacturers and service providers from across the battery supply chain, this free-toattend exhibition is your opportunity to source the latest energy storage solutions, helping you to reduce costs and improve the performance of your applications. Contact Tel: +1 310 445 4200 Email: Tshowreg@ubm.com www.thebatteryshow.com
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS through SEIA and SEPA’s year-round research and education activities, and SEIA’s extensive advocacy efforts. SPI’s primary mission is to deliver on the missions of both SEIA and SEPA in a way that strengthens the solar energy industry domestically and globally, through networking and education, and by creating an energetic and engaging marketplace to connect buyers and suppliers.
Toronto to host Energy Storage Canada
Contact Tel: +1 703-738 9460 Email: customerservice@sets.solar www.solarpowerinternational
5th International Smart Grid Expo Osaka, Japan September 26-28 Japan’s largest international exhibition showcasing various cutting-edge technologies and products related to smart grid and smart communities.
Future Resource — the event for energy and water efficiency Birmingham, UK September 12-13 Future Resource is the leading water & energy management event in the UK-showcasing the latest innovations shaping the sustainability sector to the industry’s most influential names and organisations. From the UK’s leading local authorities and Government departments, to the largest retailers, commercial & industrial end users, energy and water suppliers and trade associations, Future Resource attracts the most influential visitors and buyers who are attracted by the industry’s best content programme, speaker line-up and world-class exhibition. Contact Daniel Brotherton daniel.brotherton@prysmgroup.co.uk Tel: (+44) 0117 990 2093 www.futureresourceexpo.com
Energy Storage Canada Toronto, Canada September 19 - 20 Energy Storage Canada is the voice of leadership for energy storage and the only industry association in Canada that focuses on advancing opportunities and building the market for energy storage. ESC leverages the strength of our diverse membership to drive market development in Canada. ESC has made energy storage a key focus for policy makers. We educate stakeholders and drive awareness about the value that energy storage delivers. We work to create new competitive markets and ensure regulatory
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fairness. Our mission is to advance the energy storage industry in Canada through policy advocacy, collaboration, education, and research. Energy Storage Canada works closely with sector allies and with other energy storage stakeholders to push the industry forward. Contact Pat Phillips Tel: +1 416-977-3095 Email: information@energystoragecanada.org www.energy-storage-ontario.squarespace.com
Solar Power International Anaheim, California, USA September 24-27 Solar Power International is powered by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA). SPI held its inaugural show in 2004 and was designed to serve and advance the solar energy industry by bringing together the people, products, and professional development opportunities that drive the solar industry and are forging its bright future. This event focuses solely on creating an environment that fosters the exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise for furthering solar energy development in the US. Designed and produced by Solar Energy Trade Shows, our events supply your company with solutions that further your success. Offering superior networking, visibility and value, Solar Energy Trade Shows events are important to any company active in the solar market. Unlike other solar conferences, all proceeds from SPI support the expansion of the solar energy industry
The best place to: • Find products and technologies to solve research and production issues • Effectively compare the test technologies from around the world • Seek detailed and rapid solutions to problems • Carry out face-to-face business meeting with key industry leaders Reed Exhibitions Japan strive to provide the most effective platform for exhibitors showcasing the latest technologies, products and services to meet professionals from around the world who seek such exhibits. Through organising the show, Reed Exhibitions Japan s fully committed to aid the expansion of the industries. Contact Reed Exhibitions Tel: 0081 333498576 www.smartgrid-kansai.jp/en/
5th International Smart Grid Expo: Osaka, Japan
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS 23rd International Congress for Battery Recycling — ICBR 2018 Berlin, Germany September 26-28 ICBR is the international platform for presenting the latest developments and discussing the challenges faced by the battery recycling industry. The 23rd edition of ICBR will bring together many experts and decision makers of the battery recycling value chain such as battery manufacturers, battery recyclers, OEMs from the electronic and e-mobility industry, collection schemes operators, service and transport companies, policy makers and many more. Contact Tel: +41 62 785 10 00 Email: info@icm.ch www.icm.ch
Intelec Turin, Italy October 7-11 INTELEC is an international annual technical conference that, for the past 39 years, has been the premier forum for the science and engineering of energy systems for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). Research and technical papers explore the needs and trends in the subject areas of power conversion, energy storage, and high-reliability and mission-critical powering infrastructure. Topics include DC power plants, powering architectures, converters, inverters, batteries, fuel cells, grounding, physical and thermal designs, building and equipment cooling systems. The 2018 conference will be held in Torino, Italy at the Lingotto Conference Centre. Theme of the conference will be: 40 years of Inspiration, Research and Exploration in Power and Energy for ICT
world-from AI to the blockchain, from cyber security to fintech-as well as industry-specific challenges and opportunities. Set as a multi-track, one-day event, WIRED Smarter will host more than 30 speakers from a variety of industries, backgrounds and perspectives. Expect top-level headline keynotes, trend-led industry briefings, case-study dissections and lightning showcases from a wide range of inspirational startups and scaleups. Contact Kim Vigilia Tel: +44 207 152 3698 Email: wiredevents@condenast.co.uk www.wired.co.uk/event/wired-smarter
Interbattery 2018 Seoul, South Korea October 10-12 InterBattery, sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and directed by Korea Battery Industry Association and Coex, is Korea’s biggest secondary-cell battery convention that was first launched in 2013. InterBattery is Korea’s only battery industry exhibition that simultaneously accommodates the fast-growing mobile market, automobile industry, as well as ESS and EV markets, and allows for the buyers and manufacturers to naturally and most efficiently interact while learning about the newest products and trends. Furthermore, the global conference ‘The Battery Conference’ will be in session at the same time, allowing for the opportunity to listen to international opinion leaders, exchange influential
ideas, and estimate the future of the industry. Contact Tel: +82 6000 1393/1065/1104 Email. energyplus@coex.co.kr www.interbattery.or.kr
Global Graphene Expo & Conference Austin, Texas. USA October 15-17 National Graphene Association’s annual event brings together current and future graphene stakeholders to focus on commercial applications of graphene, drive innovation, and promote and showcase graphene products and technologies. During three days of plenary talks, panel discussions, graphene product and idea showcases, investor pitches and interaction with exhibitors, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in comprehensive dialogue and gain technological insight from the most influential players in the graphene commercial sector and evaluate graphene for the future of their industry. The targeted round table format and tailored networking opportunities will allow attendees to gain critical market information and analysis from leaders in the field and form strategic partnerships. Contact National Graphene Association Tel: +1 615 840 3917 Email: membership@nationalgrapheneassociation.com www.nationalgrapheneassociation.com
Interbattery 2018 Seoul, South Korea
Contact Tel: +390119211467 info@symposium.it www.intelec.org
Wired Smarter London, UK. October 9 WIRED is proud to announce WIRED Smarter, a new category of conference designed to brief senior executives on critical business trends and innovation through a series of digestible keynotes, anecdotal sessions and meaningful connections. Curated by WIRED’s award-winning editorial team, WIRED Smarter will harness the strengths of its Retail, Energy, Money and Security summits to offer delegates a wider view of the disruption shaping today’s business
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Japan’s energy storage community. Summit topics to include: • Framework: Energy storage frameworks and trends • Energy storage business models • Technology: Hydrogen, fuel cells, and batteries • Thermal energy storage • E-mobility and infrastructure • Resilient & Smart cities Finance: Financing energy storage projects • Energy finance and IT • International markets for energy storage Bringing the stakeholders together — Solar & Storage Live, Birmingham, UK
Contact Tel.: +81 (3) 52 10 99 51 essj@messe-dus.co.jp https://essj.messe-dus.co.jp/en/home
Solar & Storage Live
The Business Booster
Birmingham, UK. October 16-18
Copenhagen, Denmark. October 17-18
The exhibition brings together the stakeholders in solar generation and maintenance, storage deployment and emerging ancillary technologies. Solar & Storage Live’s exhibition is free to attend for all three days.
The Business Booster is an annual twoday international networking event that showcases 150+ sustainable energy technologies under one roof. TBB rotates among our European capitals-last year it was opened in Amsterdam by Maroš Šefcovic, the Vice-President for the Energy Union, followed by our keynote, Dr. Prof. Bertrand Piccard, Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation. This year the event will take place from 17-18 October at the Bella Center, Copenhagen-Scandinavia’s largest exhibition centre, where over 700 attendees consisting of start-ups, energy industry representatives, financial communities, policy makers and regulators will join us.
Contact Solar Media-The Exhibition Team Tel: +44 2017 871 0122 Email: dbarklem@solarmedia.co.uk www.uk.solarenergyevents.com
Energy Storage Summit Japan Tokyo, Japan October 16-18 The Energy Storage Summit Japan is your gateway to Japan’s energy storage market. With the combination of highllevel business contacts and information exchange, it is a “must attend” event for everyone who wants to do business with
Contact Viktoria Schober Email: viktoria.schober@innoenergy.com www.tbb.innoenergy.com
SHMUEL DE-LEON ENERGY EVENTS • SDLE with Custom-Cells will provide the 4th Industrial On-Site Lithium Ion cells production technology. Itzehoe, Germany — October 23-24 • SDLE with Wyon will provide a battery seminar. Appenzel, Switzerland — October 25-26 • SDLE with Rochester Institute of Technology will provide the 3rd Lithium Ion cells manufacturing seminar Rochester, NY, USA — November 5-6 • SDLE with HEL will provide a battery seminar. London, UK — November 26-27 • SDLE with Okaya Group will provide a battery seminar. New-Delhi, India — December 7-8
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Battery Technology Show October 23-24 • ExCel London The Battery Technology Show will showcase the incredible developments happening across the battery and energy storage markets. If you are looking to keep up with the latest news in breakthrough technologies, gain invaluable insight from key players in the market, and discover the emerging technologies which are at the frontier of the energy revolution, this is the event for you This show will feature a select lineup of world-leading manufacturers in the battery and energy storage space on our Expo floor, alongside a first-class conference programme featuring three thought-leading symposiums: The Future of Battery Technology, The Future of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles, and The Global Battery Market. Come and experience the power of the future. Contact Sarah O’Connell Tel: +44 117 932 3586
Battery Safety Conference Arlington, Virginia, USA October 30-31 Higher energy and higher use lead to higher risk. While research continues to boost the energy storage capability of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and leads to expanding applications and consumer use, the task of implementing effective safety strategies falls on regulatory authorities, cell manufacturers, R&D engineers, and forensic scientists. Accurate tests and models are critical for predicting and controlling the complex electrochemical, thermal, and mechanical behavior of LIBs while forensic investigations and regulations are required. The Battery Safety 2018 conference continues this vital dialogue to integrate and implement LIBs safety to meet ever-increasing energy demands. Contact Sherry Johnson Tel: +1 781 972 1359 sjohnson@CambridgeEnertech.com www.cambridgeenertech.com/batterysafety/
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Lithium Battery Materials & Chemistries Arlington, Virginia, USA November 1-2 Cambridge EnerTech’s Lithium Battery Materials & Chemistries conference provides in-depth coverage on the chemistries, both current and next-generation, that are shaping the future of energy storage. From novel electrode/ electrolyte materials to higher-capacity cathode/anode structures, this conference explores how to economically increase battery energy density. Contact Sherry Johnson Tel: +1 781 972 1359 sjohnson@CambridgeEnertech.com www.cambridgeenertech.com/lithiumbattery-materials-chemistries
European Utility Week 2018 Vienna, Austria November 6-8 European Utility Week is your premier business, innovation and information platform helping you to connect with the smart utility community. The three day event will offer you access to executives, regulators, policymakers and other professionals from leading European utilities and grid operators. The event offers a platform to showcase solutions coherent with European strategy to achieve a smooth transition towards a low carbon energy supply. It also offers expert knowledge and foresight from hundreds of industry lead-
ers who address trends helping the advancement of energy provision. We have solutions for every forward thinking company and person looking to participate during European Utility Week 2018. Contact Tel: +31 346 590 901 Email: service@european-utility-week.com www.european-utility-week.com
Power & Renewables Summit 2018 Austin, Texas. USA November 13-14 Power & Renewables Summit 2018 will gather industry views on how renewable integration, decarbonization, sector electrification and the growing need for increased capacity and flexibility are impacting electricity systems. Join a two-day conversation around financing strategies, business model shifts, demand and regulatory updates as leaders across the energy value chain decipher how these profound transformations will reshape power markets over the next 10-to-20 years. Contact GTM Events Email: info@greentechmedia.com www.greentechmedia.com/events/live/ power-renewables-summit
Zinc Battery Technology Workshop CUNY, New York, USA November 16 During the past 30 years, while lithi-
um-ion has received all the attention, major scientific progress has been made in transforming older, nonrechargeable zinc battery technology into rechargeable systems that may be able to compete with lithium-ion. Today multiple companies are bringing to market batteries and energy storage systems based on nickel-zinc, zinc bromine, zinc air and zinc manganese oxide battery technologies. All these systems have unique features and performance qualities that may, in certain applications, make them a preferred alternative to lithium-ion based systems. Importantly, the scientific community sees considerable runway for continued improvement in these zincbased systems, which may make them even more competitive in the future. The Workshop on Zinc Battery Technology will examine the principal zinc battery technologies on the market today, how they work, what their particular cost, safety and performance characteristics are, and where they might be able to play in the energy storage market today and tomorrow. Electric utilities, grid operators, energy systems developers, systems integrators, regulators, first responders, property owners, scientists, students and renewable energy enthusiasts are all urged to attend. The top experts in the world on zinc battery technology will be speaking at this program. Registration is limited to 100 delegates. Contact Tel: +1 312 588 0477 jgreenberger@naatbatt.org
Energy Storage North America Pasadena, California, USA • November 6-8 Energy Storage North America (ESNA) is the largest conference and expo for grid-connected energy storage in North America. ESNA 2018 will include energy storage site tours, networking, workshops, and learning sessions featuring the leading policymakers, utilities, and commercial and industrial customers focused on building the grid of the future. Network with over 1,900 energy storage stakeholders through one on one meetings, roundtable discussions, workshops with interactive discussions, intimate receptions for international attendees, utilities and women in the storage industry, and an evening of dining and dancing in Pasadena. Contact Daniela Knoll Email: dknoll@mdna.com Tel: +1 312 621 5838 www.esnaexpo.com
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS The Energy Management Exhibition-EMEX London, UK November 21-22 EMEX is the UK’s must-attend energy event for everyone wanting to increase their organisation’s energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Energy is a cost to most organisations that has grown as a proportion of overall expenditure in recent years. And yet, there is considerable potential within most organisations to make large energy cost and carbon emission savings through the installation of energy efficiency measures. EMEX connects all commercial energy consumers with leading experts, policy makers and suppliers. EMEX is more than just an event. It’s a platform where practitioners and experts from various backgrounds and sectors are coming together to share their knowledge and experiences from successful implementations of energy efficiency strategies. Whatever the size of your business there is an opportunity to find more efficiency in your energy use. Contact Chris Asselin chris@emexlondon.com www.emexlondon.com
CTI Symposium Berlin Berlin, Germany December 3-6 The International CTI Symposium and its flanking specialist exhibition is the international industry event in Europe for people seeking latest information on developments in automotive transmissions and drives for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Contact Tel: +49 2 11/96 86-3452 anna.hofmann@car-training-institute.com www.transmission-symposium.com/en
Digital Solar & Storage Munich, Germany December 4-5 The world is going digital-and so is the energy industry. Solar and Storage, with the help of Digitalisation, will be the backbone of the New Energy World. Now that we are moving towards clean and flexible power, heat & transport sectors, it is key to have a cross-sectoral platform to discuss the most efficient ways to succeed in the energy transition in Europe. This is why SolarPower Europe, Europe’s biggest solar association, and IBESA, the International Battery & Energy Storage Alliance are collaborat-
CTI Symposium Berlin Berlin, Germany. December 3-6
ing again for the second Digital Solar & Storage conference on 4-5 December 2018 in BMW World, Munich.The event will again cover the full spectrum of challenges and opportunities impacting digitalisation, solar and storage from policy, market and technological perspectives. Join high-level executives from utilities, digital innovators and storage solution suppliers to discuss the latest business models and market trends shaping the New Energy World. Contact Saskia Choffel Tel: + 32 2 709 55 41 s.choffel@solarpowereurope.org www.digitalsolar-storage.org
Intersolar India Bangalore, India • December 11-13 This is India’s most pioneering exhibition and conference for the solar industry Solar developments in India grew exponentially in 2017. Further announcements and new market opportunities in the energy storage and electric mobility sector strengthen India to become an interesting and very promising market in the future. The state of Karnataka is one of the most flourishing Indian solar markets and the first Indian state to launch a specific EV policy. Intersolar India, the most pioneering exhibition and conference for the solar industry is celebrating its 10th edition in Bangalore, the capital city of the top solar market. The event will focus on the solar, energy storage and electric mobility industries and will welcome more than 17,000 industry professionals and 300 exhibitors. In addition, Intersolar India will continue to connect solar businesses in Mumbai at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) on April 4-5, 2019 with a focus on financing and India’s western solar markets. Contact Brijesh Nair Tel: +91 22 4255-4707 www.intersolar.in
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Power-Gen International
Energy Storage India
Orlando, Florida. USA December 4-6
New Delhi, India January 22-23, 2019
As the World’s Largest Power Generation Event, POWER-GEN International is the industry leader in providing comprehensive coverage of the trends, technologies and issues facing the generation sector. Displaying a wide variety of products and services, POWER-GEN International represents a horizontal look at the industry with key emphasis on new solutions and innovations for the future.
Energy Storage India conference and exhibition brings together industry professionals and speakers from more than 20 countries. Powered by India’s leading Energy Storage Alliance “India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), attending will give you a platform to meet all Energy storage & EV Tender Authorities, State & central Regulators, Policy Makers and Government Bodies.
Contact PennWell Corporation Tel: +1 918 831 9160 (direct) +1 888 299 9016 (toll free) Email: registration@pennwell.com www.power-gen.com
Energy Storage Summit 2018 San Francisco, California. USA December 11-12 Now in its fourth year, the Energy Storage Summit will bring together utilities, financiers, regulators, technology innovators, and storage practitioners for two full days of dataintensive presentations, analyst-led panel sessions with industry leaders, and extensive, high-level networking. This year, we’re expanding our traditional U.S. event to cover the global market.
Contact Messe Düsseldorf India Amruta Dhumal Tel: +91 11 4855 0059 Email: DhumalA@md-india.com www.esiexpo.in
9th International Smart Grid Expo Tokyo, Japan February 27-March 1, 2019 Japan’s largest international exhibition showcasing various cutting-edge technologies and products related to smart grid and smart communities. Reed Exhibitions Japan strive to provide the most effective platform for exhibitors showcasing the latest tech-
nologies, products and services to meet professionals from around the world who seek such exhibits. Contact Reed Exhibitions Tel: +81 3 3349 8576 Email: visitor-eng.wsew@reedexpo.co.jp www.smartgridexpo.jp
Energy Storage Europe Düsseldorf, Germany March 12-14, 2019 Those who would like to get to know the entire world of energy storage, its leading technologies and key-figures, for those there is only one destination: Energy Storage Europe in Düsseldorf. The unrivalled focus on the topic of energy storage can only be found here in Düsseldorf. Only here the entire range of technologies in all its diversity can be discovered: Electrical, thermal, chemical and mechanical solutions. Only here the energy storage of future energy systems can already be experienced today. Contact Messe Düsseldorf Caroline Markowski Tel: +49 211 4560 7281 Email: markowskic@messe-dusseldorf.de www.energy-storage-online.com
Contact GTM Events Email: info@greentechmedia.com www.greentechmedia.com/events/live/ energy-storage-summit
World Future Energy Summit-WFES Abu Dhabi, UAE January 14-17, 2019 WFES (World Future Energy Summit) is a global industry platform connecting business and innovation in energy, clean technology and efficiency for a sustainable future. WFES Expo hosts over 850 exhibiting companies from more than 40 countries; The Future Summit; the unique WFES Forums, covering everything from disruptive technologies to future cities; a set of ground-breaking WFES Initiatives; and WFES Hosted Events, where individual growth markets come under the spotlight. Contact Rajveer Singh Tel: +971 2409 0444 Email: rajveer.singh@reedexpo.ae www.wfes.ae
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Smart grids for the future: 9th International Smart Grid Expo in Tokyo
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CONFERENCE WATCH MONTHLY The definitive guide to battery energy storage conferences and meetings for the year ahead
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