The Consortium holds technical meetings and workshops, attends conferences and exhibitions relevant to the lead battery industry, produces scientific papers and visits energy storage installations utilizing lead battery technology.
View our resources below to learn more about our work.
As the growing demand for renewable energy results in an increased need for battery energy storage, a hybrid project in Aachen, Germany has been testing different battery technologies since 2016. With optimized high current capability and long cycle-life expectancy, Exide Technologies’ advanced lead batteries are one of the key storage technologies featured at the 5MW M5BAT project, which is operated by RWTH Aachen University. With the objective of testing the technical and economic viability of different battery technologies, advanced lead batteries at M5BAT are playing a central role in the strive to optimize battery performance for grid stability and integrating renewables into the energy market.
As Europe looks to maximise energy from renewable sources and secure long-term supply, the ability to manage frequency regulation at grid level is becoming more important. A lead battery-powered energy storage facility in Saxony, Germany is providing 16 megawatts of battery energy storage to help smooth out peaks and troughs in energy supplied to the grid. The facility is run by Narada Power Source using more than 1,000 advanced lead carbon batteries, supplying 25 MWh of power. This is the kind of project that is delivering on Europe’s Green Deal ambitions now. And it demonstrates the value of investing in different battery technologies in support of wider electrification. The innovative lead-carbon technology used by Narada, and developed in partnership with CBI, offers extended cycle life in shallow cycle life, a key requirement of large-scale energy storage systems. With a calendar life of 15 years, the project’s batteries are set to reliably support Germany’s electricity grid for more than a decade. This project, operating since May 2019, is the second of Narada’s large-scale projects based in Saxony. The other project comprises more than 10,000 batteries to support a 15 MW project supplying frequency regulation services for Germany’s network operator Mitnetz who supply electricity to over 2 million customers.
The Technical Roadmap for automotive batteries published by the CBI prioritizes a significant DCA improvement at uncompromised water consumption and moderately improved corrosion durability. It has become obvious on battery level that single-pulse tests for DCA and continuous overcharging for water consumption bear only weak correlation with results obtained under field conditions, particularly when most advanced (high DCA) battery technologies are addressed. Consequently, material screening and mass recipe optimization should employ other, more complex methods on cell level, too. Therefore, the CBI research project "Best practice of cell testing for EFB regarding DCA and high-temperature durability" was initiated to address these points of interest. Within the project a maximum alignment and collaboration between car makers and battery application specialists, working on new battery test standards, is strongly emphasized.
The role of battery energy storage in low and middle-income economies is increasingly important as a way to deliver clean, sustainable energy. For many it means access to reliable power supporting everything from schools and education to cooking and refrigeration. CBI is exploring opportunities to use lead batteries in energy storage systems such as microgrids, alongside a novel hydrogen-production technology (called The Battolyser) that also uses lead battery components. Innovate UK invited CBI to visit Malawi, a country in Sub-Saharan East Africa, as part of its Energy Catalyst programme. We joined start-ups, clean tech companies and connected with public and private energy organisations in Malawi, including the Malawi government, energy associations and the UK High Commission. But, above all, we were able to learn first-hand the challenges and needs of local communities. Designed to help companies find project partners who are applying for funding through Innovate-UK’s Energy Catalyst programme, the trip involved visiting existing microgrids and talking to local experts and communities. CBI is now working with Loughborough University and two Malawi-based energy solutions providers to develop a strong bid for Energy Catalyst Round 9. This £1 million project to develop an energy storage solution including electrical energy storage and renewable hydrogen, will be submitted in August 2022.
With attendees joining CBI in Bergamo, Italy for a week of ALBA meetings plus a CBI Battery Academy and a CBI Technical Workshop, we discussed automotive trends and the latest research in this sector.
The Consortium for Battery Innovation has published a series of studies in scientific journals setting out research into addition of carbon in lead batteries, the use of lead batteries in utility energy storage, and life cycle assessment studies for the lead industry. The journals are published here.
Comparison of Dynamic Charge Acceptance Tests on Lead–Acid Cells for Carbon Additive Screening
Begüm Bozkaya, Sophia Bauknecht, Jochen Settelein, Julia Kowal, Eckhard Karden and Guinevere A. Giffin
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Lead batteries for utility energy storage: A review
Geoffrey J. May, Alistair Davidson and Boris Monahov
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Lead industry life cycle studies: environmental impact and life cycle assessment of lead batteries
Alistair Davidson, Stephen Binks and Johannes Gediga
Read moreCBI organizes global technical workshops to advance innovation in lead battery technology, and attends industry events to communicate the benefits of lead batteries
Advanced Automotive Battery Conference Europe
29-31 January 2019 - Strasbourg, France
View the photos hereDownload CBI's infographcs
Enabling the electric vehicle revolution
Find out how lead batteries are playing a vital role in the increased uptake of electric vehicles worldwide
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Start-stop vehicles reduce emissions
Lead batteries are essential for start-stop technology, a revolutionary step towards energy efficiency
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A sustainable lead battery industry
99% of lead batteries are collected, recycled and reused at end-of-life in North America and Europe
Download our infographicThe Consortium for Battery Innovation is developing short, informative videos covering all topics related to lead batteries across all the applications they’re used in, from automotive and motive power to energy storage. View the full playlist below.
Each year, CBI commissions an independent market analysis of lead battery market data and future forecasts from Avicenne Energy.
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