Chemical Engineering December 2011 - 23

team plans to complete a 20-kW prototype
of the battery in late 2012.
Primus Power (Hayward,
Calif.;
www.primuspower.com) is also developing
a flow battery - one based on
zinc-halogen chemistry. Key differentiators
for the Primus technology
include high-conductivity electrodes,
which increase power capacity, and a
carefully designed flow architecture to
reduce capital cost. Primus cells are
housed in 20-kW, 60-kWh units that
can be linked together for utility-scale
installations. Primus plans a demonstration-scale
system in 2012, and a
commercial-scale project in 2013.
Li-ion for storage
Li-ion batteries are common in portable
electronic devices and newer
electric vehicles, but they can also be a
viable grid-energy storage technology.
A123 Systems Inc. (Waltham, Mass.;
www.a123systems.com) has been a
player in the electric vehicle area, but
is also utilizing its technology for gridpower
applications, such as smoothing
out the supply and demand variations
as renewable energy is integrated into
the power grid.
" With some grid-energy storage solutions,
there are few [non-grid] applications,
so it's more difficult to reduce
costs, " says Andy Chu, vice president
for marketing and communications for
A123 Systems. " With Li-ion technology,
we can leverage the technology, manufacturing
and logistics infrastructure
that has been developed for Li-ion batteries
in devices and vehicles, and apply
that to power-grid applications. " A123's
Chu envisions costs coming down significantly
compared to flow batteries
because of the existing infrastructure.
Technology licensed and developed
by A123 relies on nanoparticles of a
doped form of lithium-iron-phosphate
for its cathode material. The cathode
structure allows lithium ions to move
more easily into and out of the material
than with other Li-ion materials,
which reduces physical expansion and
lengthens the lifetime of the battery
and the number of charge-discharge
cycles the battery can handle.
Among the advantages of A123 batteries
used in grid-storage applications
are the ability to site facilities
anywhere, explains Chu. Also, Li-ion
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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM DECEMBER 2011 23
batteries don't require water or emit
pollutants, so there are fewer requirements
for permitting and siting.
As part of a DOE demonstration
program, A123 is building an 8-MW
Li-ion battery for storing energy at a
wind power site in Tehachapi, Calif.
The project's purpose is to demonstrate
the flexibility of Li-ion batteries
for grid storage, and to " test whether
the same battery system could be appropriate
for multiple grid storage
functions in which several hours of
power are needed, " says Chu.
■
Scott Jenkins
Editor's note: For additional information on
emerging technologies for grid-energy storage,
visit www.che.com for the expanded version of
this article.
http://www.primuspower.com http://www.che.com http://www.a123systems.com http://adlinks.che.com/35072-23 http://WWW.CHE.COM
Chemical Engineering December 2011

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