Institution news
Q: Please can you briefly explain your role and involvement with battery energy storage?
Gill Davies (GD): I’m a Project Manager for Energy Storage Innovation at BEIS. I manage projects in the electrical category of the Longer-duration Energy Storage (LODES) innovation competition Stream 2, which is for technologies currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 or 5.
Richard Dawson (RD): At LiNa Energy we are developing a sodium metal chloride cells and battery modules suitable for a wide range of electrification applications including energy storage. As the CTO my responsibility is to provide technical oversight of the development programme as we bring our technology to market. We have a number of active grant funded projects which align with this including the Hi-LiNa2 project which will demonstrate a 1kWh module suitable for energy storage towards the end of 2022.
Q: What would you say is the biggest challenge in the battery energy storage industry and how do you think it could be overcome?
GD: Getting new innovative technologies through the ‘valley of death’ and through to commercialisation. The competition is providing funding for feasibility studies into novel technologies that have shown strong commercialisation potential. Some will then get funding to build first of a kind demonstrators following a competitive down-selection process.
RD: We see that supply chain and reliance on critical raw materials particularly in the conventional Li-ion space as being a significant challenge which is only going to get worse. This can be seen at present in the limited availability of Li-ion cells for developers.
Q: What are the most exciting developments in battery energy storage at the moment, either within your organisation or in the industry in general?
GD: The broad range of technology types being funded under the LODES competition is really exciting.
RD: We have heard first hand that although energy storage developers wish to be technology agnostic, this is no longer possible as increasing consumer and investor consciousness demands complete and transparent supply chains (i.e. know where your Cobalt comes from). This need for diversification of technology and sustainable supply chains is critically important. It is exciting to see sodium based cell technologies getting increased traction as major developers such as CATL embrace alternatives to conventional Li-ion.
Q: What would you say is the technology to watch in the industry at the moment?
GD: There are lots of interesting technology ideas coming through and we need a strong and diverse mix, since different types will suit different durations and applications needing energy storage.
RD: As the energy storage markets develop we see alternative technologies such as flow batteries and approaches such as hybridising a selection of chemistries to best fit usage profiles as areas to watch.
Q: Where do you see the future of battery energy storage technology in the next five to ten years?
GD: With a larger mix of commercially available options to choose from.
RD: Limited battery availability is driving developers to diversify within lithium battery chemistries today (e.g. LFP vs. NMC), we predict this trend will continue ‘beyond lithium’ in the future with sites encompassing complimentary and specialised chemistries/ technologies (flow + lithium + sodium).
Q: Why do you feel it is important for engineers and professionals involved in these technologies to join this event?
GD: To contribute to the discussion and momentum around technologies that are critical to achieving net-zero.
RD: Events are a great way to keep up to date with current thinking and technology in a particular sector. The associated networking is a great way to get to know people in the field. Continuing professional development is a critical part of being a professional engineer.
Battery Energy Storage 2022 will be taking place on 24 May at One Birdcage Walk in London.
Join this seminar to:
- Gain insight into government and industry support for battery energy storage and plans to develop the technology further to increase grid flexibility
- Discuss current and future demand for energy storage in the UK and battery energy storage’s role in future energy systems in order to plan your energy storage strategies
- Learn about the cutting-edge developments in stationary battery energy storage chemistries and materials to increase capacities and capabilities of your own systems
- Hear lessons learned from the latest battery energy storage projects and applications to take back to your organisation
- Be a part of a discussion around the future of energy storage covering supply chain, investment and capacity challenges
To book your place, please visit the event website.