Toyota, Japanese partners to pilot battery storage facility: think of it as a powerbank for a country, by reusing EV batteries
Sanjay · May 30, 2023 04:22 PM
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Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO HD) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) have teamed up to create a stationary storage battery system, bringing to fruition a novel way to store and give second life to electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The system, with a capacity of 3 MWh and an output of 1 MW, will be installed at the Eurus Tashirotai Wind Farm by Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation. The four companies will collaborate on a verification project starting in the fall of this year.
A storage battery is also called a battery energy storage system, BESS. These are devices that allow energy to be stored (drawing from solar or wind energy) and released for use at a later time. Think of it as one big powerbank.
Essentially, what battery storage systems like this do is to bridge the gap between existing available power and people's consumption of it. In simple terms, when demand for electricity far exceeds the capabilities of the currently-available solar and wind power grid, stored electricity can then be called upon from these systems.
In regards to TEPCO and Toyota's system, it stores electricity in said EV batteries. Though the current source of these batteries aren't mentioned, this project has one eye in the future – when there's enough used EV batteries later on, they can be utilised in these storage systems.
Today's project then is a proof of concept, and the benefits of it is a system that allows recycling of these batteries instead of just wating them away.
An illustrative idea of battery storage. Pictured are e-Zinc's BESS', made in partnership with Toyota Tsusho Canada
The companies say that the storage battery market is fast growing, in line with the rise of EV sales and focus on carbon neutrality. In this partnership, TEPCO will utilise its know-how and capabilities in the electric power business to improve utlitisation and balance between supply and demand.
Toyota, on the other hand, will be working Toyota Industries Corporation, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and Denso Corporation to utilise storage batteries for electrified vehicles.
Construction of the facility is to begin in summer 2023, ahead of the beginning of tests in fall this year. Operation and performance evaluation will take place over the next several years.
With humble beginnings collecting diecast models and spending hours virtually tuning dream cars on the computer, his love of cars has delightfully transformed into a career. Sanjay enjoys how the same passion for cars transcends boundaries and brings people together.
