A luxury car brand is being thrifty when it comes to energy.
Porsche recently released details about a fascinating power facility built from 4,400 used batteries. They were sourced from Taycans, an electric vehicle with a starting price just under $100,000.Â
The project goes full circle because the batteries are providing energy to a Porsche production plant in Germany. The energy facility is about the size of two basketball courts, storing electricity made partly with solar panels, per the release.
"The project exemplifies how we can use resources sustainably and combine this commitment with business efficiency," Albrecht Reimold, an executive board member for production and logistics at Porsche AG, said.
The Porsche team collaborated with experts from the University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. The key is that when batteries near the end of their usefulness in EVs, they still have ample ability to store power.
"In this unprecedented model project, we were able to combine a number of different goals, including peak load capping, optimization of self-consumption, and simultaneous participation in the energy market," Alwin Schmid, manager of electrical engineering at Porsche AG, said.
The battery banks are designed to handle the rigors of powering the plant. They are stacked in rectangular boxes and connected with wires. The system is built to last for 10 years. Individual battery packs can be replaced if needed, per the release.
Porsche officials said the storage facility can help to stabilize the grid during peak demand, as well.
"Of course, this is about environmental aspects and the core issue of the energy supply. But it was also important to us to take a pioneering role with the storage system," Schmid said.
Other companies are also giving EV batteries a second life in storage. California's B2U Storage Solutions is using packs from Hondas and Nissans to store power for use on the grid.
Last year, Tesla announced that it was ramping up production of its Megapack, a battery specifically built for large-scale energy storage.
The projects are crucial as we transform our energy systems to renewable options, which now provide more than 20% of the United States' electricity, according to the government. If more intermittently produced power from the sun and wind can be saved for use at night, during peak demand times, and during blackouts, it will foster quicker wide-scale adoption.Â
Homeowners can even take part in the effort. So-called virtual power plants, such as one that leverages Tesla's home-based Powerwall batteries, let residents send their excess rooftop-generated solar power to the grid.
Electrek notes that it's possible to earn between $10 to $60 each time the grid needs to be bailed out.
Importantly, all the renewably made, stored, and discharged power prevents the creation of heat-trapping air pollution from other plants. That's significant because medical experts link the gasses to increased risk of serious lung problems, from coughing to cancer, according to the American Lung Association.
At Porsche, the experts intend to learn from this initial battery effort and expand it to other plants. The company said it has been using only electricity from renewable sources, including biomass, since 2017.
The latest effort is about maximizing value.
"We can utilize batteries from test cars that are no longer suitable for demanding use in the vehicle for a second useful deployment before their final recycling," Jonathan Dietrich, overall project manager for battery storage, said.
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