Old EV Batteries Find New Purpose Stabilizing Texas Grid
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📰 The quick summary: In Bexar County, Texas, 500 retired electric vehicle batteries are being repurposed to provide 24 megawatt hours of energy storage for the electric grid, extending their useful life by eight years while helping stabilize power supplies.
📈 One key stat: B2U Storage Solutions plans to deploy 100 megawatt hours of grid storage across Texas within the next year, enough energy to power 3,330 homes for a day.
💬 One key quote: “We’re really helping to pioneer and demonstrate to the automotive industry that repurposing makes a lot of sense for a pretty healthy number of batteries before they’re truly ready for end of life and recycling,” said Freeman Hall, co-founder and CEO.
1️⃣ The big picture: A California company called B2U Storage Solutions is giving retired electric vehicle batteries new life by repurposing them for grid energy storage in Texas. These 500 batteries, which have reached the end of their automotive usefulness but still retain 70-80% of their capacity, will be housed in 21st shipping container-sized cabinets near San Antonio. The system will charge when renewable energy is abundant and power is cheap, then discharge when demand increases. This innovative approach creates a second life for batteries containing valuable minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, delaying the need for recycling by approximately eight years.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This technology creates an economic second life for EV batteries that would otherwise need recycling prematurely. The repurposed batteries provide grid stabilization at lower cost than new battery installations while helping Texas manage its growing renewable energy resources. The second-life battery market is forecasted to grow into a $4.2 billion industry by 2035 as millions more EVs reach battery replacement age. Batteries have already made significant contributions to Texas grid reliability, with nearly 4,000 megawatts of new battery capacity added to prevent summer blackouts. This approach also reduces waste and maximizes the use of critical minerals before they need recycling.
3️⃣ What’s next: B2U will complete the San Antonio facility later this year, followed by three additional grid storage projects in Texas. The company will continue collecting real-time data to monitor temperature and voltage levels of the battery packs to ensure optimal performance. As technology advances, the process of repurposing EV batteries is expected to become faster and more cost-effective.
Read the full story here: Grist – Hundreds of old EV batteries have new jobs in Texas: Stabilizing the grid
