By: Solarman

Solarman — Mon, 16 May 2022 23:07:02 +0000

This is a “path forward” in bringing massive ESS to utility electricity storage and regulation now and in the future. We have witnessed how geopolitical “forces” can affect supply chains around the World. Zinc-alkaline batteries for energy storage can become a boon to energy storage from smaller residential energy storage (OHM) to large scale ESS projects (ZEUS), like the proposed Elkhorn project in Monterey, CA that is supposed to be built out to 1,500MW/6,000MWh by about 2025 or 2026. The commodity price of nickel, lithium, cobalt has increased, and some battery manufacturers are paying something like $80,000 per refined ton for nickel and up to $50,000 per refined ton for lithium and around $50K to maybe $80K a ton for refined Cobalt. Finding cheaper more abundant elemental materials firms up the supply chain and allows for cheaper much less price volatility for these commodity materials. Let’s NOT repeat history and replace OPEC with LiPEC. This ZnMnO2 chemistry can change the “balance” of power in the World of elements used to make ESS battery cells. UEP ‘hints’ in some of their claims as these batteries cycling for (thousands of cycles). But I have found (no) specifics as to what that means. One can design a sealed lead/acid battery system when used to a maximum of 50% DoD with full recharge (each day) and proper temperature range can get an off-grid system that the battery will last (20) years. DEKA 2VDC sealed batteries. I could find nothing on exact cycling and limitations on these units but did find some pretty good specifications on temperature -20 degrees C to 60 degrees C and claims of no possibility of thermal runaway. (YET) in their utility scale systems they are showing temperature, (H2) detectors and smoke detectors. A couple of charts suggest the gravimetric energy density of Zn rechargeable batteries is from 60Wh/kg up to 120Wh/kg. The bottom line with this type of system is depth of discharge, speed and efficiency of recharge and the “sweet spot” of how deep of a discharge, how important is it to fully recharge the battery every day and “can” one discharge this system down to say 5% DoD repeatedly and up to 90% to 100% charge each day and get “several thousand” cycles over the design life of the ESS? IF UEP really wants to sell their product, they are going to have to pony up these specific battery design specifications to grab customers away from the established (LFP) chemistry.

Comments on: Pine Gate signs for 4.5 GWh of zinc-alkaline batteries for utility-scale projects through 2027

By: Solarman