Power management company Eaton has joined forces with carmaker Nissan to develop a scalable lithium-ion energy storage system.
The system re-uses battery packs from Nissan’s Leaf electric vehicles for industrial, commercial and residential applications.
The system can combine up to four 17 kWh batteries in parallel and is capable of being integrated with any solar PV system.
Nissan claims the batteries, which are at around 70% of initial capacity, will last between five and 10 years in the energy storage unit.
“Energy storage systems are becoming crucial components in the development of smarter grids,” said Cyrille Brisson, vice president marketing, Eaton Electrical EMEA.
“Each energy storage technology solution is different in its own way. But there are some common and wide-ranging benefits, which include continuity of supply, increased grid stability and efficiency, avoidance of peak energy tariffs and a reduction in the reliance on expensive fuels like diesel to compensate for no-grid or poor-grid situations. Energy storage clearly has a very bright future.”
The first working demonstration of the system was installed at Nissan’s French office to allow the switch from grid to batteries to power the building’s lighting and other electrical circuits.
The office features a 1 MWh ESS, from Eaton, powered by 64 Nissan Leaf second life EV batteries combined with solar energy generation.
