G. Cowles
Urban Electric Power, Inc.,
United States
Keywords: zinc batteries, energy storage systems, rechargeable alkaline chemistry
Summary:
Alternatives to lithium ion batteries are growing in importance and gaining market share because of supply chain challenges, competition for raw materials from EVs, and much publicized concerns about lithium’s fire safety. Rechargeable zinc manganese dioxide (ZnMnO2) batteries present a compelling alternative for numerous energy storage applications. The existing $13 billion global supply chain for zinc alkaline batteries (such as the familiar AA) and abundant raw materials offers an opportunity to solve these problems for stationary storage customers while still meeting performance requirements. Urban Electric Power has developed, commercialized, and patented rechargeable alkaline batteries, manufactures them domestically in Pearl River, New York, and has begun large-scale implementations. The firm’s alkaline zinc manganese dioxide battery technology evolves the same chemistry as the familiar household cell into a large format rechargeable battery that can easily be combined for energy storage applications from residential, to commercial and industrial, to utility-scale. Over the past year, Urban Electric Power has implemented its technology in a variety of use cases including a 2 MWH power back system at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, a 13-kWh demonstration of residential solar+storage in an off-grid application, and a 120-kWh solar-paired storage system at a dairy creamery in Goshen, New York. This presentation will further explore the relevant applications for (ZnMnO2) batteries, and detail the lessons learned form field deployments after a successful wave of recent installations.