ENERGY
RePurpose Energy turns aging electric vehicle batteries into solar-power storage units , more or less doubling the batteries ’ lifespan . PHOTO COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION
watched the Central Valley ’ s cleantech sector balloon from about 30 companies to 125 . The Capital Region — Sacramento County and the nine surrounding counties — is home to at least 85 of them , and together they generated $ 3.1 billion in revenue in 2018 , according to an industry analysis by CleanStart . The sector employs more than 5,000 people locally . Simon says further growth , and lowered costs associated with tapping into solar and wind power , will involve advances in storage and software .
Here are four innovative companies helping drive the revolution .
RePurpose Energy
Turning used electric vehicle batteries into solar storage The first mass-produced electric vehicle , the Nissan Leaf , took to roadways 10 years ago . Now , a decade into the electrification of public and private transportation systems , their batteries — which last approximately 7-10 years — are wearing out . Like a tsunami on the horizon , these batteries are accumulating by the hundreds of thousands and pose a novel threat to the environment and a challenge for the electric vehicle industry and regulators . Because of the meticulous care that must be taken to prevent leakage of heavy metals from the batteries , recycling EV batteries is very costly .
But a Fairfield-based company envisions this potential waste stream as a resource . RePurpose Energy has developed a system of turning aging electric vehicle batteries into solar-power storage units . “ We offer these batteries a leisurely retirement in a much less stressful setting than an electric vehicle ,” says Ryan Barr , chief operating officer of the company and one of its cofounders .
By the end of their lifespans in electric vehicles , batteries retain about 70 percent of their storage capacity — insufficient to reliably power a car but enough to make them suitable as stationary batteries for homes and businesses . Eventually , all batteries die , but RePurpose ’ s system more or less doubles their lifespan . “ We not only extend the life of these existing EV batteries , but we also mitigate the need to manufacture new batteries for stationary energy storage ,” Barr says .
And that ’ s a big gain for the environment . By some calculations , producing a new solar storage battery emits as much greenhouse gas as the same battery offsets through its lifetime , making it just barely a carbonneutral product . “ You need to operate these batteries for 10 years before you get an environmental payback ,” Barr says . He adds a point of irony too : While it takes a decade or more for these batteries to become carbon neutral , providers typically warranty them for fewer than 10 years .
RePurpose ’ s strategy is a step in the right direction . It starts with an assessment of a used battery ’ s health . Existing systems doing this , Barr says , can take hours .
“ We use machine learning algorithms to test a battery in one minute ,” Barr says .
Then , suitable used batteries are refurbished with new circuits , new controls and additional software , Barr says . When ready for market — Barr says they aren ’ t yet — the repurposed
44 comstocksmag . com | December 2020