A Safe, High-Performance, Rechargeable, Recyclable Zinc-Based Battery for Stationary Energy Storage Applications
Enzinc Inc.
Recipient
Richmond, CA
Recipient Location
7th
Senate District
14th
Assembly District
$1,728,235
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
This project was completed in 2024. The project accomplished it project goals including:
• Design, build, and test a large format zinc micro-sponge anode to showcase the ability to scale the size of the zinc anode to fit existing market battery enclosures.
• Design, build, and test a large format nickel-zinc cell to respond to batteries made up of a connection of cells in series or parallel.
• Design, build, and test a 12-volt nickel-zinc battery to be used as the battery element of a long duration stationary energy storage system. This battery demonstrated a discharge capability from 10 hours to 20 hours and short-duration energy storage from 30 minutes to 10 hours. The 12-volt battery is intended to be a demonstration “building block” for a 1 megawatt stationary energy storage system.
• Demonstrate a preproduction fabrication process for manufacturing large-scale zinc sponge anodes.
The Issue
Today there are only two solutions to stationary energy storage for discharge times between two hours and twelve hours – lead-acid and lithium-based batteries. Lead-acid batteries have been used for over 150 years. Though dependable, they have very low energy and cycle life, leading installations to be heavy and costly. Lithium-based batteries have been used in stationary energy storage for about ten years. Though they have very high energy, this comes at a price in reduced discharge times, safety (thermal runaway), and environmental temperature constraints. Currently there is no cost-effective way to recycle them.
Project Innovation
This project will scale development of the Recipient's zinc metal sponge anode, and integrate and test it in a full battery cell and battery pack. Today there are two primary solutions to stationary energy storage for discharge times between two hours and twelve hours – lead-acid and lithium-based batteries. Lead-acid batteries are dependable but have low energy density and low cycle life. Lithium based batteries have high performance but are relatively expensive, require rare earth materials, and have safety concerns. The Recipient has developed a zinc based battery that combines the low cost and dependability of lead-acid batteries with the performance of lithium based batteries.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
The increasing demand for energy storage solutions, coupled with the limitations of lead acid and the safety concerns of lithium-based batteries, requires the exploration of an alternative chemistry. Enzinc's project focuses on the advanced research and development of the zinc sponge for use in advanced nickel-zinc stationary storage batteries, alongside exploring the manufacturing processes of the zinc anodes. The validation of Enzinc’s nickel-zinc (NiZn) battery and the successful demonstration of the anode fabrication line is a step further in the introduction of a new chemistry that aligns with California’s climate and clean energy objectives. By supplying zinc anodes to legacy manufacturers to produce advanced NiZn batteries, Enzinc will be contributing to the realization of California’s climate and clean energy goals.
Affordability
Zinc based batteries do not use high-cost rare earth minerals like lithium-ion batteries do, which can result in a lower-cost storage solution.
Reliability
This project can increase deployment of energy storage systems at the residential, neighborhood, campus, and municipal levels, thereby increasing grid reliability by minimizing brown-outs and wildfire potential.
Key Project Members
Michael Burz
Mosope Abiodun
Phil Baker
Mike Coleman
Mike Galluzzo
Carolyn Schlueter
Subrecipients
University of California, Riverside
Intertek USA Inc.
Match Partners
University of California, Riverside
Intertek USA Inc.
Enzinc Inc.
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