While it is anticipated lithium-ion batteries (LIB) will significantly help drive countries across the world towards their net zero carbon targets, this technology is already proving to be problematic.
Aside from catching fire (also known as thermal runaway) due to their reliance on flammable and volatile liquid electrolyte, LIB operate in a fairly narrow temperature range (15 to 35 degrees Celsius) and have an average life span of 10 years.
Then there’s the fact the critical metals associated with producing them have their own issues, including those pertaining to geopolitical and supply chain risks.
As the market has witnessed since the start of 2022, the lithium price has soared six fold, while 90 per cent of global graphite currently comes out of China.
In addition, 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt is sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are some serious human rights breaches – including the use of child labour.
Even the copper supply, which makes up the anode part of the LIB, has become shaky, simply because not enough new mines – or the expansion of existing ones – are on the horizon to meet the demand of the burgeoning electric vehicle sector.
A technology-driven Western Australian company, however, may have found an answer to these problems – and it involves a good dose of domestic table salt.
A few weeks before the RIU Resurgence Conference in Perth, ASX-listed Altech Chemicals Ltd announced it had made a serious step towards finding a solution to all of the above-mentioned issues with the launch of its CERENERGY sodium alumina solid state (SAS) 60 kilowatt hour battery pack (the ABS60) designed for the renewable energy and grid storage markets.
Developed in a joint venture with German outfit Fraunhofer IKTS (which designed the technology), the current incarnation of CERENEGY rates at a voltage of 620 and 100 amp hour.
Altech ‒ together with associated Altech Advanced Material AG ‒ will eventually be the majority owner (75%) of the JV, which plans to commercialise a 100 megawatt hour project to be constructed in Schwarze Pumpe, Germany.
During the RIU Conference the company’s managing director, Iggy Tan, said CERENERGY batteries offered a compelling alternative to LIB as they were fire and explosion proof, had a life span of more than 15 years and could operate in extreme cold and desert climates.
Given this battery technology used table salt and nickel, it was free of lithium, cobalt, graphite and copper, eliminating exposure to critical metals price rises and supply chain concerns.
ABS60 consists of 240 CERENERGY cells (rated at 2.5 volts each) arranged in four rows of 12 and five cell modules high.
Overall, the packs will be 2.6 metres tall, 0.4m long and 1m in width.
They are designed for ingress protection 65 standard (levels of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures), meaning ABS60 is dust and weatherproof.
Aside from being conducive to outdoor installation in all weather conditions, they operate at a very wide temperature range (between minus 40 and plus 60 degrees Celsius), making them ideal for cold European climates.
In addition, as the ABS60 packs are fire-proof, they are safe for installation indoors where LIB are prohibited.
Tan told RIU delegates that the principle was based on solid state technology, which effectively involved replacing liquid electrolyte with a piece of ceramic.
“So that’s where the industry is heading to – solid state technology,” he said.
As the global battery energy storage systems market is expected to grow from US$4.4 billion in 2022 to US$15.1 billion by 2027 – and from 20 gigawatts in 2020 to over 3,000 GW by 2050 – Altech is confident SAS batteries will provide high security, at low acquisition and operating costs, for the stationary energy storage market.
