Antinuclear

Dr Lan Lam, the primary inventor of CSIRO’s UltraBattery, retired in February 2013 after he and his team turned battery technology into a storage unit that simultaneously brings down the cost of hybrid electric vehicles and makes it easier to integrate more renewable energy into a grid.

Dr Lam leaves quite a legacy behind him: this year, the first UltraBattery will be released in the automotive market, powering hybrid electric vehicles in Japan, the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. In October 2013, the battery is also due to be installed at Tasmania’s King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project, becoming the largest clean energy storage system in Australia.

The UltraBattery combines a traditional lead acid battery and a super capacitor into one; normally they are separate components.

“It sounds simple, but we have now created a new technology that is 70 per cent cheaper than current batteries used in hybrid electric cars, and they can also be made in existing manufacturing facilities,” Dr Lam explains. UltraBattery technology has now been successfully installed in a large-scale solar power plant in New Mexico, United States; its storage capacity allows for intermittent renewable energy to be smoothly supplied to an electricity grid.

The CSIRO says that in comparison to alternate renewable energy battery options, the UltraBattery is more low-cost, durable, has faster discharge/charge rates, and has a life-cycle that is two to three times longer than a regular lead acid battery. When intermittent electricity from renewables is fed into the grid through UltraBattery’s smoothing process, power quality and stability are improved. UltraBattery can also store energy for use during peak demand times, assisting the grid to balance supply and demand and avoid local stress.

CSIRO UltraBattery team member Dr Peter Coppin says that a number of large-scale demonstration projects both completed and in-planning have shown the battery’s applications in power system support and smoothing. These projects include wind smoothing at Hampton Wind Farm in New South Wales and grid support at the PJM in Pennsylvania, United States.

“These real-world, at-scale applications are very important, as they clearly demonstrate the commercial viability of the UltraBattery,” Dr Coppin notes. “It’s exciting, as the interest in the UltraBattery projects is building rapidly, as managing intermittency from renewable sources becomes more of an issue for grid integration.”

CSIRO’s energy storage team says that it will continue Dr Lam’s legacy by researching and developing the UltraBattery, aiming to make it lighter and more efficient. CSIRO is considering next-generation development with new materials and higher-energy-density technologies, such as lithium.