Battery developer e-Zinc will collaborate on a pilot project with Toyota Tsusho Canada (TTCI)— a subsidiary of Japanese firm Toyota Tsusho Corporation— to test and validate commercial-scale zinc-air energy storage systems.
The project aims to validate Canadian firm e-Zinc’s technological capability to store power from wind generation for use up to 24 hours later.
The project is due to begin in spring 2023 and will be hosted at renewable energy firm Eurus Energy America Corporation’s (EEAC) Bull Creek wind facility in Borden County, Texas, US.
The pilot project will inform future manufacturing, supply chain and commercial opportunities between TTCI and e-Zinc.
TTCI will apply its capabilities to support installation, integration, and system operation and maintenance.
James Larsen, CEO at e-Zinc, said: “This project sets the stage for TTCI to support e-Zinc with manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, sales, and distribution support, as well as project deployment and service for a variety of market applications (e.g., remote mines, off-grid car dealerships, hospitals on weak grid, etc.).”
The project is the latest in several upcoming e-Zinc field demonstration projects, including e-Zinc’s $1.3 Million project with the California Energy Commission to demonstrate its zinc battery’s capability for the commercial and industrial markets.