“Recharging California’s Power Grid: How EV Batteries are Giving a Second Life to Renewable Energy”
By Nicholas Bridegroom
(Reuters) – Hundreds of used electric vehicle battery packs are enjoying a second life at a California facility connected to the state’s power grid. According to a company, a game-changing technology will drastically reduce the cost of storing carbon-free energy.
B2U Storage Solutions Inc, a Los Angeles-based startup, said it has 25 megawatt-hours of storage capacity made up of 1,300 ex-EV batteries connected to a solar array in Lancaster, California. The project is believed to be the first of its kind in a wholesale market and grossed $1 million last year, according to chief executive Freeman Hall.
Although the technology is still nascent, grid-scale storage offers a useful destination for the millions of used battery packs that will result from the transition to electrified transportation in the years to come. It’s also a more cost-effective way to use the massive amounts of battery capacity needed to store solar and wind power when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
B2U’s technology makes it possible to bundle the EV battery packs together without having to disassemble them first. Founded in 2019, the company is managed by the Japanese trading company Marubeni Corp.
By extending battery life, project developers can save resources and costs. Hall estimates that a system like B2U’s could reduce the capital cost of grid-scale batteries by about 40%.
“Second life and reuse help make the entire lifecycle more energy efficient given all the effort that goes into making this battery,” Hall said in an interview. “So you get the maximum benefit out of it.”
Batteries are used rigorously over their years of powering vehicles, and over time their range degrades. But they still have value as stationary storage, which has lower requirements, Hall said.
The batteries in the B2U system are up to 8 years old and once operated in Honda and Nissan vehicles.
The Company is pursuing the development of additional projects in California and Texas.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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