A joint energy transition project between RWE and Audi is breaking new ground. In Herdecke in North Rhine Westphalia in Germany, RWE has put an energy storage system consisting of used lithium-ion batteries from Audi EVs into operation. Using 60 such battery systems, this novel storage technology will be able to provide temporary storage for about 4.5 megawatt hours of electricity at the site of the RWE pumped-storage power plant at the Hengsteysee reservoir. The decommissioned batteries supplied for the project come from Audi e-tron development vehicles. At the end of their first life in the cars, they still have a residual capacity of more than 80 percent. That means these second-life batteries are ideally suited for use in stationary electricity storage systems. Depending on how they are used, the batteries could still have a remaining service life of one to ten years. And they’re much cheaper than new cells. That’s where second life comes in: The carbon emissions generated when the batteries were produced are spread sustainably across two service lives, one in the car and one in the storage system.For the 60 batteries, each weighing about 700 kilograms, RWE has built a 160 square meter hall using lightweight construction methods at its pumped storage power plant location in Herdecke. Work on installing the battery systems inside the building began in October, and the process of commissioning the individual components kicked off in November. RWE expects to begin marketing the storage capacity of its second-life battery storage system from the beginning of 2022, initially to help maintain the frequency in the electricity grid. The plan is then to test other marketing methods on a flexible basis.RWE intends to draw on the insights gained from the reference storage system in Herdecke to build and operate larger storage systems based on EV batteries in the future. This will involve an innovative system in which pairs of modules are connected in series, thus boosting the operating voltage and reducing costs.The second-life battery storage system in Herdecke is one of ten battery projects RWE is implementing in the US, Germany and Ireland. In parallel, the company is working on innovative projects such as redox flow batteries or battery storage systems with a virtual connection to hydropower stations. By 2030, the company will have increased its battery storage capacity from the current level of 600 megawatts to 3 gigawatts.
A joint energy transition project between RWE and Audi is breaking new ground. In Herdecke in North Rhine Westphalia in Germany, RWE has put an energy storage system consisting of used lithium-ion batteries from Audi EVs into operation. Using 60 such battery systems, this novel storage technology will be able to provide temporary storage for about 4.5 megawatt hours of electricity at the site of the RWE pumped-storage power plant at the Hengsteysee reservoir. The decommissioned batteries supplied for the project come from Audi e-tron development vehicles. At the end of their first life in the cars, they still have a residual capacity of more than 80 percent. That means these second-life batteries are ideally suited for use in stationary electricity storage systems. Depending on how they are used, the batteries could still have a remaining service life of one to ten years. And they’re much cheaper than new cells. That’s where second life comes in: The carbon emissions generated when the batteries were produced are spread sustainably across two service lives, one in the car and one in the storage system.For the 60 batteries, each weighing about 700 kilograms, RWE has built a 160 square meter hall using lightweight construction methods at its pumped storage power plant location in Herdecke. Work on installing the battery systems inside the building began in October, and the process of commissioning the individual components kicked off in November. RWE expects to begin marketing the storage capacity of its second-life battery storage system from the beginning of 2022, initially to help maintain the frequency in the electricity grid. The plan is then to test other marketing methods on a flexible basis.RWE intends to draw on the insights gained from the reference storage system in Herdecke to build and operate larger storage systems based on EV batteries in the future. This will involve an innovative system in which pairs of modules are connected in series, thus boosting the operating voltage and reducing costs.The second-life battery storage system in Herdecke is one of ten battery projects RWE is implementing in the US, Germany and Ireland. In parallel, the company is working on innovative projects such as redox flow batteries or battery storage systems with a virtual connection to hydropower stations. By 2030, the company will have increased its battery storage capacity from the current level of 600 megawatts to 3 gigawatts.
