CSIRO, Cleantech Ventures Partner for Smarter Energy Storage for Solar, Wind Power

November 29, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

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Development of a hybrid battery suitable for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is now a step closer, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

CSIRO and Cleantech Ventures invested in technology startup Smart Storage Pty. Ltd. to develop and commercialise battery-based storage devices.

Dr. John Wright, director of the CSIRO Energy Transformed National Research Flagship, said the Smart Storage battery technology aims to deliver a low-cost, high-performance, high-power stationary energy storage tool suitable for grid-connected and remote applications.

"Cost-effective, high-performance energy storage has been the missing link for renewable energy," he said.

Current battery storage solutions undergo frequent deep discharging and are unable to meet high power demands. They are also considered expensive due to high initial cost and short battery life.

"The Smart Storage technology is based on CSIRO's Ultrabattery, which has been successfully trialed in hybrid vehicles," Wright said.

Technology development is now under way to produce a low-cost and easily manufactured deep-cycle stationary battery that meets demanding variable operating conditions.

The Smart Storage technology is a hybrid battery that combines an asymmetric supercapacitor electrode and a lead-acid battery in a single unit cell. Advanced materials used for the electrodes and current management absorb and release charge rapidly and at efficiencies above those of conventional battery types.

It is expected that the discharge and charge power of the Smart Storage battery will be 50% higher and its cycle life at least three times longer than that of the conventional lead-acid counterpart, CSIRO said.

"Most importantly, our technology development path is directed towards manufacturing in existing lead-acid battery plants," said Andrew Pickering, a principal at Cleantech Ventures. "Too often, new technologies simply aren't affordable, and that significantly retards market uptake.

"Investments in energy storage technologies have excellent potential for strong returns given the growing market demand and the lack of viable solutions. We now have investments in two energy storage technology companies, V-Fuel which targets grid-scale renewable energy storage applications and now Smart Storage for smaller renewable energy systems," Pickering said.

Source: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).