German firm tests powerful NASA battery that offers 30,000 cycles, 30-year life

Dec 05, 2024 08:44 AM EST

RWE, a German energy company, is testing advanced battery technology originally developed by NASA for the International Space Station.

The innovative energy storage solution is being integrated into the company’s wind and solar projects.

RWE plans to test nickel-hydrogen batteries in a renewable energy pilot project at its Milwaukee, Wisconsin, testing facility in the US.

The batteries, named Energy Storage Vessels (ESVs), capable of over 30,000 cycles, are supplied by EnerVenue, a company leading the commercial use of high-efficiency metal-hydrogen technology.

Nickel-hydrogen innovation

Energy storage technologies are urgently needed as the globe undergoes a significant shift to renewable energy sources.

Our greatest option to until has been lithium-ion batteries, but creating large-scale storage solutions is becoming more and more costly and time-consuming.

Li-ion batteries are vulnerable to thermal runaway, and in order to avoid a serious accident, big energy storage solutions require extra cooling, ventilation, and fire suppression facilities.

Batteries built on nickel and hydrogen may be useful in this situation.

Nickel-hydrogen batteries operate like traditional batteries with stacked electrodes, but they are enclosed in a pressurized gas tank.

The cathode uses nickel hydroxide, while the anode relies on hydrogen. Charging produces hydrogen gas, which is oxidized during discharge to create water.

Despite concerns about handling combustible hydrogen and pressurized tanks, the internal pressure is only 5 percent of that in hydrogen fuel cells.

Additionally, any excess pressure causes hydrogen to recombine into water, ensuring safety.

Advanced storage solutions

NASA has used nickel-hydrogen batteries for systems such as the International Space Station (ISS) since the 1970s. Platinum catalysts, which were expensive, were used in the initial design.

But in 2020, Yi Cui, a materials science professor at Stanford, created a less expensive substitute utilizing a nickel-molybdenum-cobalt alloy, opening up the technology for wider use.

Cui’s invention of an affordable nickel-molybdenum-cobalt alloy catalyst led to the founding of EnerVenue.

EnerVenue’s battery packs, called ESVs, feature six-foot-long, six-inch-wide tanks capable of storing 3 kWh of energy.

Unlike lithium-ion batteries, ESVs operate across a wide temperature range (-40°F to 140°F) without requiring additional safety measures.

However, nickel-hydrogen batteries are costlier to manufacture and have lower energy density, necessitating more units to match lithium-ion outputs.

Despite these limitations, nickel-hydrogen batteries excel in durability, with a lifespan of 30,000 charge cycles---equivalent to up to 30 years of use.

EnerVenue estimates they retain 86 percent capacity even after extensive use. This makes them a promising alternative for long-term energy storage in a sustainable energy future.

Advancing sustainability

RWE’s pilot project at its US testing facility near Milwaukee will evaluate EnerVenue’s ESV batteries.

The project’s objectives are to evaluate overall efficiency, temperature resilience, duration, charge and discharge performance, and cycling adaptability.

RWE will use the data from these experiments to improve the technology in preparation for possible future energy project integration.

RWE claims that ESVs have extremely long lifespans and can cycle three times a day.

Their scalable design ensures flexibility and safety, avoiding thermal runaway risks seen in lithium-ion batteries, thus eliminating costly fire suppression systems.

Additionally, ESVs are easier to recycle, enhancing their sustainability and environmental appeal.

“Energy Storage Vessels are built to meet the demands of even the most diverse and challenging clean energy applications, providing a reliable, long-lasting, and sustainable answer for large-scale renewable energy projects.

Collaborating with a leader like RWE allows us to showcase the capabilities of our technology and demonstrate how it can drive the future of clean energy expansion and grid resilience,” said Majid Keshavarz, CTO of EnerVenue, in a statement.

RWE develops and operates battery storage systems across the U.S., Europe, and Australia, with a current capacity of 0.7 GW and 1.4 GW under construction.

As part of its Growing Green strategy, the company aims to expand its capacity to 6 GW globally by 2030.

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/german-firm-tests-powerful-nasa-battery