ok, the kids in bed, time to finish the post. Translated by...

ok, the kids in bed, time to finish the post. Translated by Deepl

A megawatt battery made of salt for the energy transition25 March 2024/in Creative Commons CC BY-ND, Free Content, Sustainability, New Society, Smart Cities, Issues & Reports 01/2024, Business & Markets, Knowledge Culture/by Daniela HaselbauerIn this interview, Uwe Ahrens, CEO of listed company Altech Advanced Materials AG, explains the benefits of the innovative large-scale battery for industry and the energy sector. Mr Ahrens, what is revolutionary about your new battery technology?Together with our joint venture partner, the Fraunhofer Institute IKTS, we are currently commercialising a solid-state battery for stationary operation called CERENERGY. This new type of battery is free of critical raw materials such as cobalt, graphite and lithium and does not require copper. Our battery is perfectly suited for stationary use in power grids, renewable energies and industry due to its performance, longevity and safety and consists only of common salt, ceramic and nickel. It is non-flammable and retains its full performance over its entire life cycle of more than 15 years. This means that its service life is far longer than that of currently used battery storage systems. CERENERGY is extremely robust and can be operated without external systems for cooling or heating under any climatic conditions and does not require any fire protection systems as it is non-flammable. It solves all the challenges for an intermediate storage system for renewable energy sources that we currently need so urgently


What are the advantages of using it as a mains battery storage system?Our CERENERGY battery is a plug-and-play solution. It can even be transported to its destination in a charged state. As no external systems are required, it can be up and running in a very short time and is very cheap and efficient to maintain. And as there is no fire hazard from the battery, it can also be placed next to refuelling systems and thus make a contribution to e-mobility. The containerised megawatt systems can even be stacked on top of each other and are completely weatherproof. It should also be emphasised that CERENERGY users can generate a higher yield. The battery does not lose power over its entire service life. Several charging cycles within 24 hours are also possible without damaging the battery.What technology is behind this and how long did the development take?The current development of our solid-state battery is based on the technological principle of the so-called "zebra" battery, which was developed back in the 1970s but never made it into widespread use. IKTS took up this technology and developed it over eight years into an optimised industrial application. Important technological details were solved and a stable production process for mass production was developed, which now enables commercialisation. The actual battery cells consist of a solid ceramic tube, the solid-state electrolyte, through which sodium ions can be channelled. Between the outer surface of the ceramic tube and the metal casing, the anode forms anew each time and decomposes again without loss during discharge.


What are the next steps towards market launch?Prototypes of CERENERGY battery cells have been running stably for years. The design and engineering of the industrial production facilities have been finalised. The land for the plant in Schwarze Pumpe in Saxony has been acquired, the building applications have been submitted, the systems have been designed and all subcontractors have been selected. We intend to finalise the feasibility study in the near future and then implement the financing this year. To this end, we have submitted a number of funding applications at state, federal and EU level and expect to receive a favourable decision before the end of the year. With structured financing consisting of equity, borrowed capital and subsidies, we expect the project to be realised quickly.How many battery modules are planned for the first production line?In the first expansion stage of our planned plant for CERENERGY with an initial production line, we are assuming an annual production output of 120 MWh. We then want to gradually increase this output. Our plant will be designed in such a way that we can quickly set up further production lines. We are already thinking ahead and have secured a purchase option for another site in the immediate neighbourhood. We are then talking about capacities in the gigawatt range.Mr Ahrens, what significance do grid battery storage systems have in the context of our sustainable development?Grid storage batteries are the missing link in the energy transition. In principle, the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind and sun has been solved. However, the sun does not always shine in Germany and the wind does not blow evenly. In addition, renewable electricity is not available where and when it is needed. The electricity cannot be channelled because the electricity grids are already full. This is well known. The fact is that the Federal Network Agency estimates the cost of unused electricity - known as redispatch - at over EUR 4 billion in 2022. What we need, therefore, is storage to balance out peaks, stabilise the grids and supply electricity when demand is at its highest. This energy can only be utilised and the energy transition realised with large stationary battery storage systems.Otherwise, the further expansion of renewable energies will only lead to even more unutilised surplus energy and thus to higher costs. The need for grid storage is there and makes sense both economically and economically.

How do you think the energy storage market will develop over the next few years?The grid battery market is growing enormously worldwide. According to a recent study by Bloomberg NEF, energy storage has a global potential of 620 billion US dollars by 2040. The problem is therefore not so much the demand, but rather the supply of adequate storage solutions. Critical materials such as lithium, cobalt and graphite are already fluctuating enormously in price. Apart from the fact that dependencies on third countries are very high. The example of graphite alone shows this. Around 90 per cent of the global market for this important battery material is supplied from Asia. This creates dependencies that should also be avoided for geopolitical reasons. It is foreseeable that the key raw materials will not be sufficient to meet demand. We therefore need alternatives in Europe that do not require these critical substances.Which target market are you addressing with your new solid-state batteries?Initially, we are focussing on operators of energy grids and large solar and wind parks. They have an urgent need to buffer the energy volumes from renewable energy generation from wind and solar and feed them into the grids with a time delay. In addition, there is also a very high demand from local electricity consumers to cap expensive energy peaks using storage systems. This so-called peak shaving can significantly reduce the electricity costs of companies.Keyword e-mobility - there are also specific fields of application here: If lorry fleets start to be electrified now, they also need to be charged quickly without the grids at haulage companies and car depots "coming to their knees", as they are not able to conduct such a large amount of electricity in a short space of time. Our CERENGY battery is predestined for this application. As it is non-flammable, it can be integrated into the existing fuelling infrastructure without the need for any other safety distances and can be used for the corresponding charging infrastructure for heavy goods vehicles. Other areas of application could be municipal low-voltage grids or energy-intensive industries that are switching from gas to electricity. They can also be used as emergency power generators in hospitals or other public buildings due to their absolute safety.How long can the batteries be expected to last? The service life of a battery is usually specified in charging cycles. With CERENERGY, well over 7,500 charging cycles can be realised. Converted, this is more than 15 years - possibly significantly more, as no battery cell components are used up or contaminated over the years during the charging process. The CERENERGY battery does not age. The service life we are aiming for is roughly double that of conventional lithium-ion batteries today, with 100% performance over the entire service life.

What costs should industrial customers expect?In terms of full costs, CERENERGY is the most efficient and most favourable solid-state battery on the market. During the entire life cycle of a battery, you don't just have to consider the purchase price. There are also maintenance and servicing costs and disposal costs. The number of charging cycles that are possible within the warranty period is also an important indicator.A standard solution on the market today requires cooling or heating, a water connection and regular maintenance with replacement of sealing parts. Our system does not have any of these maintenance costs for ancillary units because they are simply not needed. The CERENGERY battery can be charged and discharged several times within 24 hours without damaging the battery. Other systems are often limited to one cycle. As the battery is completely recyclable due to its non-critical raw materials and non-flammability, there are no disposal costs. It should be emphasised that an estimated 98% of the nickel content can be recovered and recycled. Many companies around the world are concerned about the scarcity of raw materials. How much does this affect your company?We will source all of our raw materials from Europe. We have already selected the relevant suppliers and signed letters of intent. This means there are no dependencies on third countries or complex supply chains that could be interrupted. That was very important to us. We are convinced that European battery production should be as self-sufficient as possible. We want to make a contribution to this.www.altechadvancedmaterials.com