Altech reveals lithium-free battery pack for renewable energy and grid storage markets

Altech Batteries (ASX: ATC) released the design for its lithium-free, sodium chloride battery pack for use in renewable energy and grid storage markets.

Along with its German joint venture partner Fraunhofer IKTS, each grid pack contains individual 60WWh battery packs, which can be installed into 'GridPacks' of up to 20 60KWh packs.

"Altech believes that the proposed GridPacks are an excellent means of stabilising the grid by providing a source of backup power during periods of high demand or when renewable energy sources are not producing at capacity," the company said in a statement.

A lithium free solution

Altech observed several advantages to its low maintenance GridPack product, in summary:

• Cost: Fraunhofer estimates that the battery solution to be "in the region of 40% cheaper than lithium-ion batteries"

• Materials: "The battery technology uses table salt and is lithium-free; cobalt-free; graphite-free; and copper free, eliminating exposure to critical metal price rises and supply chain concerns."

• Logistics: The product has a sea container design and has a plug and play functionality for easy installation

• Battery life: The battery has a projected lifespan of 15 years with "unlimited cycling and can operate in extreme cold and hot climates."

• Operating conditions: The GridPacks adheres to the Ingress Protection (IP) 65 standard, which ensures complete protection from both dust and inclement weather

• Maintenance: Altech notes that "GridPacks are extremely low in maintenance costs over the battery life"

• Use case: The battery has a broad-based use case given its sea container design and ability to operate in all climates. The product is noise free, which makes it an "ideal solution for noise-sensitive environments"

Further adding to its use case, Altech said "they are also a cost-effective solution for storing and distributing renewable energy across a variety of applications, including grid-scale storage, microgrids, and electric vehicle charging."

Next steps

Altech said that factors such as cost, battery life and maintenance will be confirmed in the Definitive Feasibility Study, which is currently underway.