Smarter storage for solar and wind power

Development of the first hybrid battery suitable for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is now a step closer.

CSIRO and Cleantech Ventures have invested in technology start-up Smart Storage Pty Ltd to develop and commercialise battery-based storage solutions.

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

Current battery storage undergoes frequent deep discharging and is unable to meet high power demands. It is also considered expensive due to the high initial cost and short battery life.

“The Smart Storage technology is based on CSIRO’s ‘Ultrabattery’ which has been trialled in hybrid vehicles,” Dr Wright said.

Extensive technology development is now underway to produce a low-cost and easily manufactured deep-cycle stationary battery that meets demanding variable operating conditions.

The technology is a hybrid battery that combines an asymmetric ‘supercapacitor’ electrode and a lead-acid battery in a single unit cell. Materials used for the electrodes and current management absorb and release charge rapidly and at efficiencies well above 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.

“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 retards market uptake.”