Used EV batteries in Vienna store surplus solar energy

Vienna has commissioned Austria’s largest electricity storage system using batteries from electric vehicles. Around 400 batteries, after completing their primary use in vehicles, will now be used to store surplus solar energy and feed it back into the grid when needed.

The battery storage system was installed by Vienna’s energy company Wien Energie next to the Rosiwalgasse solar power plant in Vienna’s 23rd district. The system has a power output of one megawatt and a storage capacity of four megawatt-hours.

EV batteries get a second life

When batteries are no longer efficient enough for use in electric vehicles, they can still be valuable for storing electricity. This is the principle behind the new Vienna project.

Surplus electricity generated by the nearby solar power plant is stored in the batteries and then used when solar generation declines or electricity demand increases. This allows energy produced during sunny periods to be used at a later time.

— With Austria’s largest battery reuse system, we are continuing to expand the city’s capacity to store green energy. Batteries that are no longer suitable for use in vehicles can still be used to store electricity — said Wien Energie CEO Saša Zabranski.

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The new storage facility currently uses batteries from surplus production, as relatively few batteries have so far reached the end of their first life cycle in electric vehicles. As the number of electric vehicles grows, the availability of batteries for second-life applications is also expected to increase.

This approach also has environmental benefits. Extending battery lifetimes reduces the need to manufacture new batteries and extract raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. Batteries that are no longer suitable for vehicles can continue to be used for electricity storage for another 10 to 12 years.

Solar system supplies around 400 households

The Rosiwalgasse solar power plant covers an area roughly the size of two football fields and has around 4,000 solar modules. It generates enough electricity to supply around 400 average Viennese households with renewable energy annually.

The project received financial support from the innovation fund of Vienna’s municipal utility group Wiener Stadtwerke and the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund.

Vienna is also continuing to invest in expanding electricity storage capacity. Wien Energie’s largest existing storage facility is located next to the Schafflerhofstraße solar power plant in Vienna’s 22nd district. It has a power output of five megawatts and a storage capacity of 12 megawatt-hours.

By the end of the year, additional storage facilities with a combined power output of 25 megawatts and a total capacity of 50 megawatt-hours are planned to be commissioned.

Energy Portal