| Energy storage
ABB sees potential in gravity energy storage
ABB has signed an MoU with Gravitricity with a view to collaborating on accelerating the deployment of gravity energy storage systems in former mines
Gravitricity’s GraviStore is an innovative gravity energy storage system that raises and lowers heavy weights in deep shafts – combining some of the best characteristics of lithium-ion batteries and pumped hydro storage, at low cost, and without the need for any rare earth metals. It is envisaged that future GraviStores will have energy storage capacities of more than 20 MWh, providing long-duration storage and rapid power delivery.
Unlike batteries, the Gravitricity system can operate for decades without any reduction in performance. Gravitricity has already proven the
system with a small scale demonstrator and is exploring the potential to deploy its technology in decommissioned mines worldwide. With an installed base of more than 1000 hoist systems worldwide, ABB will bring to the collaboration, R&D, product development and engineering teams specialising in mine hoists and mechanical, electrical and control technologies for hoisting.
“We are already seeing significant interest from mine operators in Europe, India and Australia and this partnership with ABB – with decades of electrification and mine hoist system expertise – will help us accelerate our ambitious commercialisation plans”, said Martin Wright, Gravitricity’s co-founder and Executive Chairman.
ABB sees the MoU as an important step in its “ambition to further develop its lifecycle service business by collaborating with companies providing adjacent and value-adding technologies.”
Above: ABB mine hoist system. Image: ABB
“ABB has 130 years of history with mine hoists, since we first electrified one in Sweden in the 1890s,” notes Charles Bennett, Global Service Manager, Business Line Hoisting, ABB Process Industries. As well as mine hoist expertise, ABB
Above: GraviStore. Image: Gravitricity
will also offer mining industry consultation and work to identify suitable sites and shafts for the deployment of GraviStore.
By repurposing disused mine shafts for energy storage, they can be used productively for up to 50 years beyond their original lifetime, thus mitigating decommissioning costs. Gravitricity says it has an expanding portfolio of intellectual property in underground energy storage including eight granted patents and a further two pending.
Zinc–manganese: a much needed alternative to lithium–ion?
ZSW (Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg) in Ulm has joined forces with partners to create the ORRCABATT project, with the aim of developing an alternative rechargeable battery technology not dependent on scarce resources. The ORRCABATT project will focus on zinc–manganese dioxide batteries for stationary applications. The advantage of this battery technology is that the only metals required are manganese and zinc. These metals are widely available and more eco-friendly than lithium, with well established recycling paths, says ZSW.
The German Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) has earmarked 3.3 million euro for the project over three years. The use of a water-based electrolyte also guarantees a high level of safety, says ZSW, and “they are cheap, with material costs of 15 to 50 euro per kWh for such batteries undercutting the
comparable values for lithium–ion batteries by a factor of two to three.”
Zinc–manganese dioxide batteries are in widespread use and the global standard for non-rechargeable cells, but not yet available in rechargeable form. The ORRCABATT project partners want to change this.
Although specific energy densities of zinc– manganese, up to 400 watt-hours per litre or 150 watt-hours per kg, are less than zinc–manganese dioxide batteries, they can still be an efficient and inexpensive way of storing power, ZSW argues. Other outstanding features are extremely low susceptibility to overheating and non- combustibility.
A key milestone for ORRCABATT (Optimised design for rechargeable and recyclable alkaline MnO2 batteries) will be production of a prototype cell with an energy density of over 100 watt- hours per kg capable of more than 150 charge/ discharge cycles. There are also plans to develop
a demonstration battery with an energy capacity of over one kilowatt-hour.
ZSW has already developed higher energy density rechargeable zinc–manganese dioxide batteries by employing innovative membrane technology and further system adaptations. These first prototypes boast exceptional cycle stability, which translates to a long service life. As part of ORRCABATT, the best materials will be identified on the basis of life cycle assessments and appropriate recycling routes will be developed with the specific requirements of the selected materials in mind. This will “enable a full assessment of the environmental impact right from the start and a recycling system fit for the future,” says ZSW.
The project partners include TU Braunschweig, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Institute for Decentralized Electrification, Entrepreneurship and Education, and VARTA. The associate partners are FUMATECH BWT and GRILLO-Werke.
www.modernpowersystems.com | January/February 2024 |
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