Lead battolyser project underway in Africa

Planning has started on deploying lead battery technology at the heart of two innovative pilot energy storage systems in off-grid communities in Zambia and Ivory Coast, the Consortium for Battery Innovation announced on March 20.

The CBI revealed in September 2022 that, together with a consortium of international partners, it had won a €10 million ($9.9 million) call for the project under the EU’s flagship research and innovation funding instrument, Horizon Europe.

Now the LoCEL-H2 project, (or Low-cost, Circular, plug & play, Off-grid Energy for remote Locations including Hydrogen), is moving ahead — combining the expertise of lead battery manufacturers, academia, national laboratories, component manufacturers, and companies who are focused on integration, microgrids and renewables.

At the core of each proj-

Kirchev: “CEA looks forward to coordinating this exciting and challenging four-year project which will bring sustainable energy and green hydrogen to challenged communities.” ect will be lead battery electrolyser components — the battolyser — paired with renewables for electricity generation and a hydrogen solution for cooking without burning fossil fuels in isolated communities without access to a power grid.

By combining lead batteries with wind and solar power, this project could become a template for other energy-deprived areas around the globe.

CBI research and innova- tion manager Carl Telford coordinated the bid alongside academic and industry partners the French atomic energy agency (CEA), Hoppecke, Hollingsworth & Vose, UNINA, Loughborough University, Sunkofa, University of Gabes, SAS Réseaux Hydrogène Décarboné RHYDE, and LUMS.

Meanwhile, the CBI and Loughborough University have drawn up proposals for two additional, separate projects in the East African nation of Malawi.

For Malawi, the partners plan to develop a novel hydrogen-production energy storage system that uses a battolyser.

Funding is being sought for the Modular Energy Storage with Clean Hydrogen (MESCH) project, a first unit of which would support operations at a hospital in Malawi.

MESCH will provide essential backup power and also turn excess solar power into hydrogen for cooking.