Time shifting is one of the keys to the solar power revolution. It allows renewable energy created during one part of the day to be stored in batteries for use during a different part of the day. Traditionally, those batteries have consisted of new battery cells — either NMC or LFP. But one company in California thinks used EV battery packs are a simpler and more cost effective way to store electricity for later use.
The two basic parameters foe EV batteries are energy and power. Energy is the ability to do work. Power is the ability to do work quickly. It takes power to accelerate an electric car from rest. Over time, EV batteries degrade to the point where they can no longer provide the power and range needed by an EV but often have plenty of capacity left for energy storage.
Conventional wisdom suggests that the next step for depleted EV batteries is to recycle them, but B2U, a California start up believes it makes more sense to use them for grid scale storage before sending them off to be recycled. Giving them a second life saves money compared to manufacturing new battery cells and packs for energy storage and takes nothing away from their value to recyclers when that second life is done.
B2U is using depleted EV batteries from Nissan LEAF and Honda Clarity cars to store electricity when it it abundant — and cheap — and selling it back to the grid when it is more expensive.
Read more: CleanTechnica
