In an intriguing effort to demonstrate an alternative to conventional recycling, an energy startup in California has converted 1,300 electric vehicle (EV) batteries into storage capsules for solar power. The project, according to B2U Storage Solutions, the company behind the technology, will significantly reduce solar storage costs. Additionally, it will aid in lowering the carbon footprint of EV batteries, which includes manufacturing and mining costs that harm the environment.
On Feb. 7, 2023, the company announced that it had 25 MWh of stored solar energy stored in 1,300 batteries from Nissan and Honda connected to a solar energy campus in Lancaster. Nearby solar panels provide daytime battery charging for the facility. After that, when solar energy prices are higher at night, the company sells electricity back to the facility.
According to the CEO, Freeman Hall, the project, which sold power into a wholesale market, is thought to be the only one of its kind and generated $1 million in 2022.
Although the project is still in its infancy, the new solar storage offers a useful home for the millions of used batteries that will be generated by the transition to EV transportation in the future. Additionally, it is a more economical method of deploying the massive battery capacity required to store wind and solar energy during winter.
While some detractors might argue that 25 MWh isn’t much — the largest solar storage facilities in the world produce more MWh — the B2U’s facility simply shows that used EV batteries can be used to store solar energy at a useful scale. With the help of B2U technology, EV batteries can be used as a whole without needing to be disassembled first. The benefit? It essentially eliminates the costs associated with repurposing and makes the technology a practical operation moving forward.
The startup is looking to build more projects in Texas and California.
In the meantime, battery recycling companies such as Lithion and Redwood Materials are gaining traction, and we may see other applications emerge. Redwood Materials spent $3.5 billion last year building a massive, new manufacturing and recycling facility in South Carolina to produce enough parts to power a million electric vehicles.
Automakers might also look into comparable technology to aid in reducing the carbon footprint of their production processes.
It is anticipated that the supply of used batteries will exponentially increase as long-time owners of electric vehicles from manufacturers such as ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLO) produce newer models. Many of these batteries could be used as energy storage alternatives.
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