The first wave of decommissioning of power batteries is on the way. In the industry view, the service life of power batteries in new energy vehicles is generally around 3-5 years. When the battery capacity is reduced to around 75%, it will be eliminated. It is estimated that the first batch of new energy vehicle power batteries put into the market is basically at the critical point of elimination. The forecast from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center shows that the cumulative national end-of-life battery will reach 120-200 thousand tons by 2018-2020, and by 2025 This figure will soar to 350,000 tons.
The decommissioning power battery still has a high energy value, and its use of the ladder has both environmental protection and economic value. 'Step-by-step utilization of the energy storage battery realizes the integrated application of the battery's full life, maximizing its use value and economic efficiency. ' A number of industry sources told reporters.
Enterprises have explored the road
According to the North China Automobile Research Institute, Wang Dongdong, director of the National 863 Power Battery Testing Center, estimates that the cost of lithium-ion battery systems for ladder utilization is about 1,000 yuan per kilowatt-hour. If the cycle life is more than 1,000, the cost-effectiveness is more than lead-acid. The battery, 'actually the cycle life will be more than 3,000 times, so the use of stepping power battery is very competitive.'
Faced with the huge space for the use of ladders, enterprises have already realized where the business opportunities lie and have actively explored the way. For example, Shanghai Zanda New Energy has implemented power battery cascade energy storage projects in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Zhejiang.
'The cost of lithium battery cascade energy storage system has now entered a new era of 1 yuan/Wh, and the user side energy storage application has the value of commercial promotion. 'Shanghai Jianda new energy general manager Li Jianhao said in an interview, 'Comparison The cost of energy storage for new batteries, such as lead-carbon battery system costs between 1.3 yuan and 1.4 yuan/Wh, and lithium battery system at 2 yuan/Wh, shows that the cost advantage of using energy storage for ladders is obvious.
The use of a viable business model for energy storage has mobilized the enthusiasm of companies to enter this field. During the interview, the reporter learned that many companies have already taken aim here.
'Lion Lions Technology is planning to use the decommissioned power battery on electric vehicles in the field of energy storage.'
'We are exploring and storing cascade utilization of energy storage projects. At present, there are many domestic ladder-level energy storages for use on the user's side, and there is a very good profitable space for arbitrage through peaks and valleys. Adding step-by-step energy storage to the new energy consumption, Will also have a lot of application space. 'Wang Hao told reporters.
'We are also vigorously exploring the use of energy storage ladders to make some technical reserves. ' The general manager of Haozhou Hao Peng Technology told reporters, 'The use of the ladder is a gradual process of cultivation, with the same model of the amount of battery waste Increased, I believe 1-2 years later, the economy of the energy storage of the ladder will be better reflected. '
Li Jianxuan further stated that in view of the future number of decommissioned batteries will double exponentially, 'this year's use of energy storage cost of the ladder will drop to 0.8 yuan / Wh, will drop to 0.7 yuan / Wh in 2019, when the project's return on investment will also be significantly increased. We have already laid out in advance and cooperated with new energy depots and power battery manufacturers.
Solving technical problems
The battery powered by new energy vehicles will make use of energy storage for ladders. It is not a simple parallel transplant. It also needs to solve the problem of battery consistency and safety, as well as further technical breakthroughs.
In the opinion of Wang Xi, the most critical issue in the use of stored energy in ladders is the detection stage. Only by correctly judging the working status of the decommissioned cell or module, can we use the matched ladders. To this end, Tianjin Mengshi New Energy has developed and A comprehensive evaluation system with a ladder utilization information system as its core has been established to detect decommissioned batteries. The system integrates three important links: database, model and assessment method, and material management, and can be used to determine the residual value of decommissioned batteries. Traceability of information, echelon utilization schemes, etc. for full support.
Li Jianrong believes that group string distribution is the core point of using energy storage for ladders. 'Connect the batteries on a car together with an energy storage converter, and do a series connection and do not do parallel connection. Add a monitoring unit. An energy storage system is formed to ensure maximum battery consistency.
Prince Dong pointed out that the power battery can theoretically be used for recycling, but the problem lies in the product structure and production process design of the power battery. Many companies use the laser welding process to connect the batteries in series to improve the reliability of the battery pack. Bolt fastening method. Such a connection structure makes it difficult for the power battery to be used in a cascaded manner. The cost for the user to reassemble the battery pack using the old battery is too high, which hinders the use of the power battery in a cascade.
'Therefore, we must make bold innovations in structural design and production processes of power battery products to facilitate the assembly and disassembly and maintenance of battery packs, and to shorten battery assembly time through automated assembly equipment.' He further suggested.
Security doubts remain
There are also different voices in the industry regarding the use of energy storage in ladders. Opponents believe that due to the direct correlation with electricity, the use of ladders is safe and efficient, and there must be no potential safety hazards.
'About the use of ladders, we are also studying, but this one is more complicated, not as simple as imagined, and the quality of decommissioned batteries is not the same, but it also needs to solve many problems such as its safety, consistency, technicality, economy and so on.' Wu Jia-Ming, deputy president of the business unit, frankly stated.
In Wu Jia-Ming's view, energy storage batteries and power batteries have different technical performance concerns. Energy storage systems and power systems face different levels of system complexity. Especially after long-term use, battery consistency is nonlinear. The decline makes the use of the steps more similar to false propositions, and carries out a large amount of screening work for batteries with different consistencies, which also deters companies from economical aspects.
'The use of ladders is valuable, but there are also bottlenecks. There are many scenarios for the use of ladders. They do not necessarily have to stare at the power storage, large-scale energy storage, because these have high requirements for safety and reliability. 'Nandu Power President Chen Bo accepted An interview with reporters said, 'Our use of ladders is mainly applied to communication base stations, UPS, low-speed vehicle power industry, this will be easier.'
'There are many uncertainties in the use of decommissioned battery ladders on large-scale storage systems. I have a conservative opinion on this. However, in a small system, the application is more realistic. If you combine ladder utilization with household energy storage, the total market The quantity is not small, it does not necessarily have to be placed on the energy storage system above the megawatt level. ' Beijing Shuangdeng Huifeng Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Tang Xisheng, general manager told reporters.
