Open call for research projects on advanced lead batteries for energy storage 

NEWS RELEASE - 17 November 2023

A new call for research proposals to support advanced lead battery innovation for energy storage systems (ESS) has been launched by the Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI), the world’s only pre-competitive lead battery research consortium. 

We are seeing an unprecedented effort to implement climate targets across the globe, led by the ambitious commitments by the European Union to become climate-neutral by 2050 and by the US to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. According to Avicenne Energy (CBI’s Market Report 2023), the ESS market is forecasted to grow from 237 GWh in 2022 to 616 GWh in 2030. Batteries stand out as one of the big facilitators of this global shift to clean energy considering any scale of implementation, from industries to residences.  

Recent analyses agree that a significant increase in battery demand will occur by 2030. Noteworthy examples are the forecast by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) that cumulative global renewable energy battery storage capacity will increase from 17 GW in 2020 to 359 GW in 2030 and estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA) showing battery storage capacity for solar power integration only will increase at least five times by 2030. Demand will be so large it cannot be met by one battery technology alone. Such prognoses are a significant opportunity for growth of the lead battery market as a potential technology that can meet all the technical requirements on a mass market scale. 

Building on the research priorities and research and innovation pathways defined on CBI’s Technical Roadmap, this call for proposals aims to stimulate projects further demonstrating improvements in lead battery performance for ESS applications. Dr Matthew Raiford, Senior Manager of CBI’s technical program, said: “The growth of the battery energy storage market is a great opportunity for advanced lead batteries, and the industry is committed to showing progress toward batteries that last longer and have higher energy density. CBI’s research program and this new request for proposals will directly contribute to that goal.” 

CBI’s open call specifies two work proposal possibilities consisting of a) technoeconomic analyses of lead battery ESS or b) material science studies of failure of lead batteries in ESS. Submission of proposals is open until 22^nd January 2024. More information on the desired work and guidelines for proposals is available here.  

About the Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) 
For more than 25 years, CBI has delivered cutting-edge research taking lead batteries to a new level for energy storage and automotive applications. With an expert panel made up of the world’s leading battery manufacturers and research specialists, CBI is setting the standard for advanced lead batteries and the next generation of energy storage. For more information, visit our website: http://www.batteryinnovation.org

Dr. Matthew Raiford is available for interview. For more information, please contact CBI’s media contact: Nicola Filizola, +32 489 17 76 60; nicola.filizola@batteryinnovation.org