vestas taps car battery know-how for wind power storage - lithium ion battery for solar storage1
COPENHAGEN (Reuters)-
Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer (VWS. CO)
Using the experience of the automotive battery industry, efforts are being made to address the challenges of using unstable wind and solar energy to meet the growing demand for electricity.
With the increase in renewable energy production, energy storage becomes more and more important, because during peak times when most consumers turn on lights and appliances, the wind may not blow or shine.
To reduce the cost of renewable energy and help grid operators balance intermittent output, Vestas said last year that it would work to combine wind, solar and battery storage technologies.
As part of that, it invested 10 million euros ($12 million)
At battery maker Northwater, the company aims to build Europe's largest battery plant with the support of investors such as Volkswagen. owned (VOWG_p. DE)
Scania truck manufacturers
"We can take advantage of all their research on car batteries and get an excellent industrial battery at the same time," Vestas chairman Bert norderberg told Reuters . ".
Vestas is working with Swedish Northwater, led by Peter karsong, a former Tesla executive, to develop a lithium-
Ion batteries for future power plants.
Traditionally, the cost of batteries is high, but with the development of automobile manufacturers such as BMW, the technology becomes more and more feasible (BMWG. DE), Daimler (DAIGn. DE)
Volkswagen and Volvo motor group (0175. HK)
Increase the production of electric vehicles.
The investment in Northwater means that Vestas may need to develop and study the type of battery storage it is interested in and be able to place people there, norderberg said.
Vestas is also working with big companies such as the United States. S.
Electric vehicle manufacturer TeslaTSLA. O)
It plans to use who's battery in the world's first utility company
The scale project of the technology is used to store electricity from wind and solar energy.
"The output of solar and wind energy is very intermittent and we need to keep it out," Nordberg said . ".
Nordberg is part of the Swedish trio, which also includes CEO Anders Runevad and Treasurer Marika Fredriksson, who turned the tide around Vestas, raise the company's operating profit margin to the industry leading level.
He said Vestas will continue to make acquisitions in storage and hybrid solutions, but declined to say how much it might cost and what targets are being considered.
"Our idea is that we should be a technology company and we will not try to get into the buying and selling of wind parks," he said . ".