Old car batteries sometimes still have some energy left in them, but it is tricky to use them for new things when the batteries are made by different companies and come in different sizes and ages. We need to find a solution because there aren’t many options for recycling these batteries.
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have built a new invention that allows battery reuse. This technology is a type of power equipment that can be used by electric utilities to store energy in different batteries. The amount of electricity released from these batteries can be changed so it stays the same even when each battery discharges differently. Michael Starke, who works at ORNL, explained this by saying “We have each battery pack discharging at a different rate, while ensuring that the target energy output stays the same.”
Electricity companies can use energy stored in batteries instead of burning fossil fuels when there’s a big spike in electricity demand. This will help minimize pollution, make EV batteries last longer, and give us steadier electric supply – all without costing anything extra.
A report by BloombergNEF says that by the year 2030, there will be 1.2 million tons of old EV batteries in the world. This means it is really important to figure out ways to reuse or recycle these batteries so we can protect our environment.
The following research was presented at the 2022 IEEE Electrical Energy Storage Application and Technologies Conference (EESAT): “An Intelligent Power Electronic System for Secondary Use Batteries” by Michael Starke, Steve Campbell, Benjamin Dean and Madhu Chinthavali on 30 December 2022.
