Energy storage |
The batteries on our roads: a hidden asset that could drive Europe’s transition
Former EV batteries could provide almost all of Europe’s grid-scale energy storage requirements, enhancing sustainability and energy security
Alex Charr Chief Operating Officer, Connected Energy
Europe’s renewable energy ambitions require massive battery energy storage capacity. As we become more reliant on renewables, our power generation becomes more dispersed. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) can give us grid resilience, by balancing power demand with generation.
Demand for energy storage is soaring. Trade association SolarPower Europe believes that the European market for BESS could reach almost 120 GWh per annum by 2029, representing an eightfold increase in demand in just five years. But the batteries for these systems – or the components and materials within them – are still predominantly coming from outside Europe. If geopolitics disrupts supply chain access to these major markets, Europeans will lose a key plank in their renewable energy strategy.
The suspension of CATL’s major lithium mining operations in China’s Jiangxi province in August 2025 served as a stark reminder of potential vulnerabilities in global battery supply chains. This disruption saw lithium prices peak at 24% higher, demonstrating why many markets cannot afford to remain dependent on distant supply chains.
Second life batteries: an untapped resource
Thankfully the solution is already on our shores – and it lies in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The ongoing transition to EVs has created a huge reservoir of resources in the form of second life EV batteries. Once a vehicle reaches end of life, its batteries can be repurposed in BESS, providing a second life that could last a decade or more. Based on the IEA’s global EV outlook report 2025 we can extrapolate that there is already approximately 600 GWh of EV batteries in Europe. Industry analysts predict that this is enough to meet almost all our BESS requirements. EV batteries therefore represent an untapped opportunity for energy security and renewables resilience. Major adopters of EVs can leverage their existing vehicle fleets to create energy storage capacity that eliminates mining dependencies, provides immediate availability, and offers cost resilience, insulating them from the price volatility affecting virgin lithium markets.
At Connected Energy, we’ve been pioneering this approach since 2010. We’re now actively
Connected Energy E-STOR system. Photo: Connected Energy
developing utility scale BESS projects across the UK and France, using exclusively second life EV batteries to participate in grid markets. Our experience shows that second life batteries deliver both commercial returns and energy security.
Addressing safety concerns Despite this enormous potential, one question recurs: are second-life batteries safe enough for grid-scale deployment?
There remains a misconception with second- life batteries that, due to degradation, the batteries are less stable and therefore present more of a risk. While it would be unethical to claim that there is no risk from second life batteries, we believe that there is now compelling evidence that second life batteries can be deployed and managed safely.
Academic research is beginning to support this view. A recent study by MEET (Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology), at the University of Münster, found that battery cell safety increases during ageing, including into second life. Scientists recorded safety improvements all the way from 91% to 63% state of health, where the experiment concluded. Our own data tells a similar story. Having worked exclusively with second-life batteries, we’ve developed one of the most extensive data sets yet assembled for second-life batteries, accumulated over 10 years of operational data, most of it in the 80% capacity and below range that battery owners and researchers rarely have access to. This combined expertise and data has enabled us to safely optimise second-life batteries as energy storage.
42 | November/December 2025|
www.modernpowersystems.com
Automotive grade
Another aspect to consider is that EV batteries must meet a much higher level of certification and safety. The pass/fail test bar is set significantly higher for an EV battery than a standard BESS battery. This means that, before a battery goes into a vehicle, it has undergone extensive testing by the OEM to meet automotive grade requirements. We leverage all these safety standards. Because we work at battery pack level rather than cell or module level, we retain the OEM’s battery management system (BMS), thermal management system and other embedded safety systems.
The future outlook
The convergence of renewable energy deployment and EV adoption creates a unique opportunity. Renewable operators and developers need cost-effective, readily available battery storage to balance intermittent generation. Vehicle fleet operators and automotive OEMs need sustainable pathways for end-of-life batteries. Second-life BESS bridges this gap.
For developers and renewable operators, partnering with experienced second life BESS specialists offers several advantages: local supply chains immune to geopolitical disruption, lower lifetime costs compared to new batteries, immediate availability without manufacturing lead times, and a circular economy approach that supports decarbonisation goals.
Connected Energy is a pioneer in second life battery energy storage systems, working at commercial and grid scale. For further information, visit
www.connected-energy.co.uk
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