A Second Life

Improvisation is too good to leave to chance...........Paul Simon (1990)

Preparing for the certainty of uncertainty is a plan for the guaranteed unforeseeable.

Products tend to flow through the path of least resistance, so you want to make the path which goes through formal channels of recycling less resistant

As the production of electric vehicles is expected in rise to combat green house gases, there is a potential environmental timebomb in their batteries.

The plan should start now:

Batteries that are no longer be able run vehicles could have second lives storing excess power generated by solar or windfarms.

The energy company Enel Group is using 90 batteries retired from Nissan Leaf cars in an energy storage facility in Melilla, Spain, which is isolated from the Spanish national grid.

The energy company Powervault partnered with Renault to outfit home energy storage systems with retired batteries in the UK

A data approach could be a digital “passport” – an electronic record for a battery that would contain information about its whole life cycle.

The battery lifecycle refers to the various stages a battery goes through from its initial manufacturing to its eventual end-of-life. The lifecycle of a battery is influenced by factors such as usage patterns, charging and discharging cycles, environmental conditions, and the type of battery chemistry.

It's important to note that the lifecycle of batteries can vary significantly depending on the type of battery. Common battery chemistries include lithium-ion (Li-ion), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lead-acid, and alkaline, each with its own characteristics and performance attributes. Additionally, advancements in battery technology and recycling practices continue to shape the overall lifecycle and sustainability of batteries.

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