New Zinc Energy Storage System Beats Supply Chain Blues
Lithium-ion technology has long been the gold standard for a rechargeable energy storage system, but the lithium supply chain is not up to snuff here in the US and elsewhere around the world. That leaves room for alternative systems to edge into the market. The latest development on that score comes from the Canadian company Salient Energy, which is offering a new zinc-ion battery that relies on abundant materials in the US.
A Better Energy Storage System, With Zinc
Salient sailed onto the CleanTechnica radar last spring, when it announced a partnership with the US building contractor Horton World Solutions. CleanTechnica’s Steve Hanley took note:
“Salient Energy says its zinc-ion batteries are the solution to all those issues. They use no lithium, no cobalt, and no nickel. The zinc and manganese are obtained from North American sources. Furthermore, the risk of fire is eliminated. The manufacturing process emits 66% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the process that makes lithium-ion batteries. And oh, yeah, they cost less as well. What’s not to like?”
That’s all well and good, but the devil could be in the details. For example, a rechargeable energy storage system would be not likeable if it eliminated fire risks but took days to recharge, or lost capacity after only a few dozen charging cycles.
Apparently, Salient has that all figured out. The company pledges the same “power, footprint, and service life as lithium-ion based systems.”
New Zinc Battery: The Proof Is In The Pudding
In the most recent news from Salient, on October 19 the company announced that its “safe, non-flammable, sustainable battery passes UL testing standards and provides drop-in replacement for lithium-ion systems in residential and commercial energy storage applications.”
The test in question is UL9540A, which is the fire safety standard for energy storage systems developed by Underwriters Laboratories.
Meeting that standard became more complicated last July, when UL tightened up its fire safety testing protocol.
“New requirements are changing how you need to test your battery energy storage systems. A revised edition of UL 9540 includes updates for large-scale fire testing. It goes into effect on July 15, 2022,” UL explains on its website.
“Starting then, you may have to change how you evaluate your ESS,” the firm ominously warns.
“Increased deployment of energy storage systems has led to field failures in past years, heightening awareness of the dangers of thermal runaway,” they emphasize. “As this technology moves closer to our homes and places of work, battery manufacturers need to consider and evaluate the likelihood of fire propagation.”
The UL seal of approval serves two purposes for energy storage firms like Salient. It provides them with a pathway for meeting local building codes. It also provides them with a marketing edge.
“This rigorous testing showed that zinc-ion cells neither experience thermal runaway nor produce toxic or explosive gasses even when subjected to extreme heat, puncture or overcharging,” Salient states, adding that “As confirmed by the UL9540A results, Salient’s water-based battery is fundamentally incapable of causing the catastrophic failures that occur in lithium-ion based systems.”
Zinc Energy Storage Is (Finally) Having Its Moment
Salient also notes that its zinc-ion energy storage system is the first of its kind to earn UL approval, which is interesting because zinc is not exactly new on the energy storage scene. Its energy storage properties were observed as far back as the early 19th century. In the 20th century, the US deployed zinc for energy storage in submarines and other weaponry during World War II, and NASA later adopted it for space applications.
Rendering zinc into a compact, lightweight, rechargeable battery has been more of a challenge. Back in 2013, CleanTechnica took note of zinc-air battery research under way at Standford University.
Last July a zinc-air battery from Canada’s Zinc8 Energy Solutions began a trial in New York State. Several other firms have also received support from the US Department of Energy’s ARPA-E funding office for high risk, high reward innovations.
Salient has also received US support. In 2021 the California Energy Commission put up $1,583,125 in funding, aimed at helping Salient to establish a US foothold with an office and assembly space in Oakland.
“The grant funding will also allow Salient to hire a team of engineers to design and assemble zinc-ion residential energy storage systems that offer an alternative to lithium-ion,” Salient explained.
Salient expected that the hookup with CEC would give it a leg up on the competition, through access to the agency’s industry experts and its experience in the energy storage field.
“As a leader in energy storage, the State of California has outpaced the rest of the U.S. with nearly 300 utility-scale storage projects. To put this in perspective, New York and Massachusetts are a distant second with around 40 each,” Salient noted.
More Energy Storage For Energy Efficient Buildings
Apparently California has first dibs on Salient’s zinc-ion battery, but it’s only a matter of time before other US states take their turn.
First among those could be Texas, which is the home base for Horton World Solutions.
Although Texas continues to be an epicenter of oil and gas activity, the Lone Star State has been experiencing a gold rush of clean tech activity including wind and solar as well as energy storage, along with green ammonia and green hydrogen. So, it’s no surprise to see a high tech sustainable building contractor put down roots there.
HWS’s contribution to the field is a modular approach that focuses on sustainable materials, energy efficiency, and minimal waste at the job site.
“The HWS building system is comprised of recycled plastics from the oil and gas industry and requires no lumber in the structure,” the company explains.
“Our efficient designs minimize waste on the job site. Once complete, these structures have nearly double the R-value per inch of a conventional home, significantly cutting utility bills. The monolithic building structure is resistant to mold, mildew, fire, and chloride, creating a safer, healthier environment,” they add.
The modular, factory-made approach also minimizes labor issues, by centralizing skilled work at the factory rather than the building site.
“The HWS building structure replaces framing, house wrapping, and insulation in an all-in-one product. The modular assembly method is designed offsite that enables a building structure to be dried within a matter of hours,” the company explains. “The systems are lightweight, easily shipped and handled, and designed intentionally to avoid the required use of skilled framers and laborers to assemble.”
So, now that HWS and Salient have solved the energy crisis, the housing crisis and the labor shortage all in one, what’s next?
Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey.
Image: Zinc-ion battery courtesy of Salient Energy.
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