The Division of Vitality is offering a virtually $400 million mortgage to a startup geared toward scaling the manufacturing and deployment of a zinc-based various to rechargeable lithium batteries. If realized, Eos Vitality’s utility- and industrial-scale zinc-bromine battery vitality storage system (BESS) may present cheaper, vastly extra sustainable choices for the nation’s burgeoning renewable energy infrastructure.
In accordance with the DOE’s latest announcement, Eos Vitality’s mission may yearly produce as a lot as 8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of storage capability by 2026—sufficient to immediately energy over 300,000 US properties, or meet round 130,000 properties’ annual electrical energy necessities.
As a result of renewable sources like wind and photo voltaic produce energy intermittently, storage options are essential to home the vitality for later use. For years, lithium battery methods’ costs have decreased as their efficiencies elevated, however the metallic’s comparative rarity presents a difficult hurdle for scaling inexperienced vitality infrastructure.
[Related: How an innovative battery system in the Bronx will help charge up NYC’s grid]
In contrast to lithium-ion and lithium iron phosphate batteries, alternate options such because the Eos Z3 design depend on zinc-based cathodes alongside a water-based electrolyte, notes MIT Know-how Evaluation. This essential distinction each will increase their stability, in addition to makes it extremely tough for them to help combustion. Zinc-bromine batteries in the meantime additionally boast lifespans so long as 20 years, whereas present lithium choices solely handle between 10 and 15 years. What’s extra, zinc is taken into account the world’s fourth most produced metallic.
Per MIT, Eos’s semi-autonomous facility in Pennsylvania at present produces round 540 megawatt-hours yearly, though it doesn’t function at full capability. The DOE’s conditional dedication mortgage—disbursed solely after sure monetary, technical, and different working stipulations are met—may increase the Eos’ manufacturing facility in direction of full-power.
[Related: How the massive ‘flow battery’ coming to an Army facility in Colorado will work]
“At the moment’s vitality storage market is nascent however quickly rising and is dominated by lithium-ion and lithium iron phosphate battery applied sciences, which generally serve short-term period purposes (roughly 4 hours),” the DOE defined in its announcement. “… Eos’s know-how can be particularly designed for long-duration grid-scale stationary battery storage that may help in assembly the vitality grids’ rising demand with rising quantities of renewable vitality penetration.”
The DOE additionally notes that “over time,” Eos expects to supply virtually all of its supplies throughout the US, thus higher insulating its product towards the market volatility and provide chain points. Whereas the DOE beforehand issued comparable loans to battery recycling and geothermal vitality tasks, final week’s announcement marks the primary funding provided to a producer of lithium-battery alternate options.
