The development of more efficient batteries is crucial in a number of areas, from powering greener electric vehicles (EVs) to capturing and storing energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar, where the generation is not constant.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, ‘the long-term success of the solar industry depends on the cost-effective integration of energy storage.’
There has also been a move towards reusing batteries, especially those used in electric cars. Around three-quarters of an electric vehicle’s original capacity typically remains at the end of its useful life in a vehicle. At this point, it might not be able to power a car, but numerous part-spent batteries can be combined and repurposed, rather than simply recycling the constituent parts.
One ambitious use for used EV batteries is powering the floodlights used in European football stadiums. Refurbished batteries are already in use in a few stadiums in Norway and the Netherlands, and US firm Eaton says that it is in talks with a number of ‘significant’ clubs across the continent.
Eaton repurposes the used batteries from Nissan Leaf vehicles. Last year, it installed a 3-megawatt power storage system at Ajax’s Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, which uses solar panels on the stadium’s roof to collect energy for use in the evenings.
Used car batteries to help power wineries
Researchers at the University of California are also using repurposed Nissan Leaf batteries. Earlier this year, they assembled a commercial-scale assembly of the used batteries to use alongside the solar array at a combined winery, brewery and food processing complex. They assembled the battery packs in a shipping container next to the winery and used control algorithms to charge them with excess power generated during the day. The batteries discharged during the evening, reducing the facility’s energy use and carbon footprint by around 20%.
A company called RePurpose is now aiming to assemble a privately funded system at another winery with on-site solar panels, and larger-scale systems could potentially be used in California’s power grid.
Other car manufacturers, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Hyundai and Renault, are also looking at ways to reuse their old batteries. BMW used 500 battery packs from its i3 cars for a power system linked to a wind farm in Wales.
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