Groundbreaking research could see car batteries energising homes

A groundbreaking research project that could see household energy fuelled by used car batteries has been kick-started in the North East..

Zero Carbon Futures, a subsidiary of Gateshead College, have been working in tandem with sustainable energy specialists tadea to investigate a secondary use for electric vehicle batteries.

The project will involve the creation of a simulated home to help gather information on how household energy use could be sustained by power generated from domestic solar panels or wind turbines.

Dr Colin Herron, managing director of Zero Carbon Futures, said “The UK is moving towards alternative power generation methods and with this will come a need for robust energy storage solutions.

“We believe that electric vehicle batteries can and will be part of the solution to store green power in the future.”

The demonstrator will see PV panels linked up to an electric vehicle battery with a measurement and control system tracking both outputs and inputs of electricity using measurement devices and logging the usage data.

The demonstrator will be monitored for between six months and a year to examine its effectiveness as an alternative energy storage method, potentially creating a ‘second life’ for batteries which have come to the end of their use in an electric vehicle.

Zero Carbon Futures was set up to support the development of the low carbon vehicle sector in the North East.

It is tasked with overseeing research into energy storage and smart home technology as part of the Zero Emission Centre of Excellence in the region.

Dr Herron said: “With millions of electric vehicles being introduced to the roads of the UK and Europe over the next few years, there will be an increase in the availability of batteries that have reached the end of their useful life in a car.

“This pioneering research has the potential to answer the question of what will happen to lithium ion batteries after their life in a vehicle.

“This research could extend the life of vehicle batteries by more than double which would have an enormous impact on the whole value chain benefiting both manufacturers and the end consumer.

“Not only that but it also represents a significant commercial opportunity that could revolutionise how households and businesses use domestic energy in the future.

“This first stage of the development process could eventually bring a solution to market which could enable homes and businesses to part exist off stored energy from their PV panels or wind turbines for use when they are not generating electricity.

“tadea has an excellent track record in sustainable energy and carbon reduction and we look forward to working in partnership with them and seeing the outcomes of this project over the coming months.”

The demonstrator will be built at the new R&D Technology Centre, a facility currently under development by Gateshead College and Zero Carbon Futures for low carbon vehicle development, testing and trialling.

Project manager at tadea, Malcolm Potter said: “This is a very exciting project to be involved with, as it works to address two very important questions of the moment.

“Firstly, how to maximise the performance of small-scale renewable energy generation, making sure that energy generated from the sun can be used at night; secondly, how we can utilise electric vehicle batteries after they have come to end of their working life on the road.

“tadea, working alongside Scott Racing and Opus Green, will develop an innovative working model that will demonstrate the viability of the combined technologies.

“There is a huge amount of potential here and we’re really looking forward to see how this develops.”