Batteries of a New Era Could Revolutionize Everyday Life

Mass production of electric cars largely depends on manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries, or rather on the cost of their production.

The issue of fossil fuel storage is always relevant and provokes disputes between environmentalists and businesses, and now a new field for debate is developing. Almost all major technology players are engaged in the development of electricity storage, or batteries, to store data and energy that powers new mobile, lighting, hybrid, and electric devices, as well as vehicles. In the development of this technology that could change global habits (if the oil lobbies allow us), it is worth asking whether Croatian manufacturers can play an important role in creating batteries of a new era. Namely, we have no prospects in oil (or we have no idea that we have oil), but they say we have electrical energy potential, so that is an opportunity.

If anyone had hoped that we could become at least a regional factor in electricity storage, the answers from our interlocutors, we fear, bring us back to earth. And who better to turn to than someone who may be the most interested in Croatia in inventing high-capacity batteries. That is why we knocked on the door of Rimac Automobili, a company owned by Mate Rimac, the man who invented his electric car. Rimac was not there, but his development engineer for battery systems, Damir Cindrić, recognized our curiosity and offered us answers to our questions. He says that the possibilities for battery development are limitless and that in about ten years, maybe a little more, we could make significant progress. In this context, we mean the entire human race, not just Croatians. Cindrić states that battery cells and battery packs will be smaller, lighter, and have a higher capacity relative to volume or mass, depending on the industry that produces them, and that we can expect that ratio to improve. Namely, he explains, battery packs are produced according to project requirements and can supply whatever you want.

Another Direction

Almost all major technology players are engaged in the development of batteries that would store data and energy that powers new mobile, lighting, hybrid, and electric devices and vehicles. That is why we ask Cindrić whether Croatian manufacturers can play an important role in creating batteries of a new era.

– We are currently working on a battery pack for a project that will have the best ratio of power to mass on the market. Unfortunately, we cannot talk about the details, but yes, we can compete with global manufacturers in creating batteries of a new era – he asserts.

His optimism is commendable and, after all, why shouldn’t we try to produce something like that? We assume we have the knowledge, but the other, also important factor is money. That is why Dr. Javor Škare, assistant director for technical affairs at Končar Electronics and Informatics, proposes a different direction for Croatian manufacturers. It is a complex process that, he says, involves continuous and long-term development of new types of electrochemical sources of electrical energy.

– Classic types of accumulator batteries, e.g., lead, nickel-cadmium, are not the most suitable for application in these applications. Therefore, I think Croatian manufacturers could focus on producing converters and complex drives, while batteries should be purchased from reputable and reliable manufacturers using the most suitable technologies – says Škare.

For now, we are talking about plants with a power of one to 50 megawatts with the possibility of storing five to 250 megawatt-hours of electrical energy, which serve to regulate frequency, stabilize voltage, regulate reactive power and voltage, balance load diagrams, ‘flatten’ peak loads, and provide backup power for large industrial plants.

Large Plants

The use of large battery plants for electricity storage is continuously growing worldwide. Škare says that their application as support for the operation of wind farms and photovoltaic plants is particularly interesting, and it is also interesting that energy stored during reduced consumption, he explains, serves to stabilize the delivery of electricity. Thus, it can be fully aligned with the daily weather forecast.

– The impetus for increasing the use of large battery plants has also been the development of technology over the past twenty years. At today’s level of technological development, batteries with the best characteristics for application in large battery plants are sodium-sulfur and vanadium-redox batteries. Sodium-sulfur batteries have been installed at hundreds of locations around the world, and the installed power of all plants exceeds 400 megawatts. The annual production of this type of battery is constantly increasing and is currently at a level of 150 megawatts. Vanadium-redox batteries have not yet been installed in as many plants, but the results achieved after their installation in several battery plants have shown that they can be relied upon, especially in supporting the operation of renewable sources – says Škare.

What does science say about this? Of course, a lot, because without it, the development of batteries of a new era cannot even be imagined. We visited the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb to talk to Prof. Davor Grgić, who deals with energy. He directed us to his colleague Dr. Hrvoje Pandžić, who, among other things, deals with energy storage, of which batteries are a part. In our conversation, he told us that given the nature of new technologies and our current state, it is very unlikely that we could actively participate in the development of a new generation of batteries, which is, as we have seen, also Škare’s stance. He noted that opportunities in energy must be viewed more broadly to understand what it is about.

System Regulator

– Energy storage and batteries as part of it are now mainly associated with ensuring the balance of electricity production and consumption in the power system and increasingly with the storage of energy produced from renewable sources, whose produced power is extremely weather-dependent. Another aspect, not necessarily separate from the first, is the transition to electric vehicles – says Professor Grgić.
We asked Dr. Hrvoje Pandžić, an assistant professor at FER, to explain the use of these batteries in simpler terms. We were interested in their application in wind farms and photovoltaic plants and the alignment of consumption according to the weather forecast, which Škare mentioned. Pandžić starts from the fact that it is very important to know that a constant equality of electricity production and consumption is necessary. The system operator, based on experience and weather forecasts, knows very well how consumption will change throughout the day.

– However, when we have uncontrollable renewable energy sources, such as wind and sun, from the production side, the maneuvering possibilities are less because there are fewer controllable power plants in operation that need to be balanced, as well as consumption, but also uncontrollable sources. Therefore, much more is required from conventional, or controllable generators, such as gas, larger hydro units, and thermal units; they are expected to be more flexible than before. Furthermore, the problem is that wind speed, and thus the production of wind farms, changes relatively quickly and sharply, so the idea of having energy storage that would be charged when we produce a lot in wind farms and/or record a sudden increase, and emptied in the opposite case, seems attractive. Reversible hydroelectric plants, such as RHE Velebit, are a very good option, but they are limited by geographical locations, hence the idea arises to integrate large high-power batteries into the power system to regulate a system with many wind farms – explains Pandžić.

Battery Storage

Such batteries with a capacity of 70 megawatt-hours have already been installed in Italy, and FER has a similar project with the Croatian Transmission System Operator. He says that for us, the most interesting mass production of electric cars largely depends on manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries, or rather on the cost of producing these batteries.

– To keep the price as low as possible, mass production is pursued, which is the main reason for the existence of Tesla’s mega factory for lithium-ion batteries. Namely, although there are still things that are in question, after its commissioning, global production of lithium-ion batteries will double. Factories are also being built in China, albeit a little less. All in all, Croatian manufacturers cannot compete with global manufacturers because they cannot increase production while simultaneously reducing costs, but also due to access to manufacturers of electric vehicles – says Pandžić.

In them, energy density and lifespan are satisfactory and they are extremely popular in consumer electronics and electric cars. In about ten years, says Pandžić, a slightly higher share of electric vehicles can be expected, although standard vehicles will still reign supreme. However, as he expressed, electric vehicles will not be ‘exotic’, so there will be more manufacturers because even smaller companies will be able to construct them relatively easily.

– In the power system, due to political and environmental pressures for further integration of renewable sources, we can certainly expect the emergence of battery storage. In Croatia, we do not have major congestion in the transmission network, but battery storage can be expected at the distribution network level. However, it should be noted that the issue of ownership of such battery storage in the power grid in the market environment we have in Croatia has not yet been legally resolved, so regulations will need to be developed and these storage units placed in some context – concludes Pandžić.