Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LOLABAT (Long LAsting BATtery)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-06-30
Since the industrial revolution, human society has progressed at a speed never seen in its history. Petroleum has been the energy vector that has enabled the development of the society in which we live today. Transition to renewable energy sources is a critical step to slow down the climate changes, to overcome the energy crisis and to ensure energy independence between different regions of the world. Battery energy storage systems are currently seen as important technological enablers for increasing the absorption of renewable energy sources into the electric grid. Current generation Li-ion batteries, despite their success in e-mobility, may not be the ultimate solution for stationary storage; in addition, the growth of Li-Ion battery market is not enough to meet the demand for stationary and e-mobility applications. New chemistries capable of meeting the demands of stationary applications are needed. However, improvements in their performance, cost competitiveness and sustainability should be achieved. For the European Union, the complete batteries value chain and life cycle has to be considered, from access to raw material, over innovative advanced materials to modelling, production, recycling, second life, life cycle and environmental assessments. LOLABAT’s (Long Lasting Battery) 17 stakeholders aim to develop a new promising battery chemistry, rechargeable NiZn Battery. This rechargeable NiZn Battery has energy and power densities both high just after Li-ion batteries, and a low cost, just after the Lead-acid battery, while profiting from abundant and available raw materials, non-toxic elements, high safety, low risk of thermal runaway, limited environmental impact and high recycling potential. The ambitions (2024 and after) of LOLABAT are: further increase of the cycle life of NiZn (to at least 4000 cycles at 100% depth of discharge by the end of project), development of NiZn for grid applications and its preparation for a production in Europe, by increasing its Technological Readiness Level via upscaling of capacity, design and integration of Battery Management and sensors built up in battery packs, testing and demonstration in stationary energy storage applications via five use cases in utility grid and industrial sites, its preparation for a future industrialisation by realisation of life cycle and life cycle cost analyses, recycling studies, assessment of norms, standards and grid compliancy, realisation of business model and market studies and finally an extensive dissemination and communication of the project results and NiZn technology.
During the first reporting period, the cost and cyclability KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) have been reached to 100% decrease and 90% increase, respectively. 3800 cycles at 100% DoD at 1C-rate have been obtained for 8Ah cells coupled with 30% reduction in cost reaching an estimated price of 0.055/kWh/cycle a value very close to the objective of 0.05/kWh/cycle defined by the EU for 2030. A reduction of 25% in the life span as a result of upscaling the cell capacity from 8Ah to 100Ah has been concluded which could permit to develop cells/modules of 100Ah for the 5 usecases in LOALABAT, able to reach the requirements in terms of longevity for stationary applications. i. e. 6 years service without replacement, representing approximately more than 2200 cycles. Design finalization of four battery packs including BMS and safety functions for the user power interface have been developed with 10kWh and 2.5kWk battery pack design for each demo case of the project. A good balancing has been demonstrated for modules of 1.25kWh/KW as well as a high power efficiency. The safety/abuse tests performed on 100Ah cells and modules (1.25kWh/kW) proves the RNZB a highly safe and robust technology.
During the second reporting, the performance of cyclability has continued to improve, reaching 3800 cycles at 100% DoD at 1C rate while the reduction of cost has kept constant. The first battery packs of 2.5kWh and 7.5kWh with integration of sensors and BMS have been tested and delivered with operating instructions and safety sheet to UNIGE. Two other large battery packs of 7.5kWh are in testing stage before delivery. The preliminary test results indicate a recycling efficiency which meets the target set for the project and demonstrates a high initial potential for recycling of Ni-Zn batteries. Positive outcome of recycling stage signifies a step forward in the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices for Ni-Zn battery disposal and resource recovery. The Life Cycle Analysis study conclude that the NiZn has values for Global Warming and Cumulative Demand between LIB and LAB while being very close to the LIB figures. The Life Cycle Cost Analysis results are interesting since they highlights the economic viability of NiZn batteries. Compared to LIB and LAB, it has been concluded that the cheapest battery of all is NiZn.
During the second reporting, the performance of cyclability has continued to improve, reaching 3800 cycles at 100% DoD at 1C rate while the reduction of cost has kept constant. The first battery packs of 2.5kWh and 7.5kWh with integration of sensors and BMS have been tested and delivered with operating instructions and safety sheet to UNIGE. Two other large battery packs of 7.5kWh are in testing stage before delivery. The preliminary test results indicate a recycling efficiency which meets the target set for the project and demonstrates a high initial potential for recycling of Ni-Zn batteries. Positive outcome of recycling stage signifies a step forward in the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices for Ni-Zn battery disposal and resource recovery. The Life Cycle Analysis study conclude that the NiZn has values for Global Warming and Cumulative Demand between LIB and LAB while being very close to the LIB figures. The Life Cycle Cost Analysis results are interesting since they highlights the economic viability of NiZn batteries. Compared to LIB and LAB, it has been concluded that the cheapest battery of all is NiZn.
LOLABAT project carried out by SUNERGY and the project partners brings to Europe a scientific advance on Rechargeable Nickel Zinc Battery technology with Intellectual Properties Rights to protect these improvements on a Zn-based technology identified as a promising new battery for stationary applications. The results obtained by LOLABAT project are clearly beyond the state of the art concerning the NiZn battery. Despite these results, the establishment of industrial production in Europe has not yet started, implying a delay compared to developments in the USA and China. However, the Rechargeable Nickel Zinc technology developed in LOLABAT could be considered as a replacement for NiCd battery with extra advantages: more performant, more environmentally friendly, cleaner, safer and cheaper. The results of the LOLABAT project are likely to change the hierarchy among the main battery systems, namely lithium-ion, lead-acid, NiCd and NiMH, producing a remarkable impact in this area. The NiZn developed during LOLABAT project is specifically designed to address the requirements of the stationary energy storage applications, to propose a better solution than Lithium-Ion Battery and Lead Acid Battery in this field. The rechargeable NiZn is a battery technology of the future, especially for stationary applications which necessarily require no compromise in terms of safety and environmental impact. The global hierarchy for this new technology is not yet fixed, which makes NiZn is a great opportunity to develop a European battery value chain for Battery Energy Storage Systems.