The US is investing $400 million in zinc-bromine battery manufacturing

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Forward-looking: Many companies and organizations are actively pursuing sustainable and efficient alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. Eos Energy, for instance, is proposing a zinc-based energy storage system that has garnered conditional approval for a loan from the US Department of Energy to develop gigawatt-class storage capacity.

The US Department of Energy recently announced a conditional commitment to provide Eos Energy Enterprises with a loan of approximately $400 million. This loan will be used to establish four new, cutting-edge production lines dedicated to manufacturing Eos Z3 battery systems. These batteries are built on the "Znyth" technology, which, as claimed by Eos, relies on readily available raw materials and is engineered to overcome the most pressing limitations associated with traditional lithium-ion batteries.

Eos specializes in zinc-bromine batteries, which offer a promising alternative to lithium-ion technology. These batteries are known for being safer, more affordable, and environmentally sustainable as rechargeable energy storage solutions. Zinc-bromine batteries operate through a chemical reaction between zinc metal and bromine, generating an electric current. They employ an aqueous electrolyte that is less susceptible to overheating and fire hazards compared to lithium-ion counterparts.

The DoE's conditional commitment is intended to support 80 percent of Eos' Project Amaze, an ambitious $500 million initiative aimed at scaling up the production of Eos Z3 batteries and expanding the company's manufacturing facilities located in Pennsylvania. If successful, this loan will enable Eos to increase Z3 battery production to a capacity of 8 GWh per year by 2026. Additionally, this project will create new employment opportunities and reduce the dependence of the US energy market on foreign supply chains.

Zinc-bromine batteries offer significant advantages over lithium-ion systems, including enhanced stability, reliability, and an extended lifespan. Zinc, a key component in these batteries, is one of the most abundant materials globally and ranks as the 23rd most prevalent element in Earth's crust. Presently, Eos' Pennsylvania plant boasts a manufacturing capacity of approximately 540 megawatt-hours per year, although it currently operates below its full capacity.

The energy storage market is experiencing rapid growth, as highlighted in the DoE's announcement. However, this market is predominantly dominated by lithium-ion and lithium iron phosphate battery technologies, primarily suited for short-term duration applications. Eos Z3 technology, in contrast, is designed for long-duration applications, such as energy storage systems that can support grid infrastructures coping with an increasing influx of renewable energy sources.

In the future, the DoE anticipates that Eos will source "almost all" of its materials from within the US. This strategy aims to bolster the domestic market against external volatility and supply chain disruptions. According to Eos CFO Nathan Kroeker, the DoE loan is a pivotal component of a larger plan, envisioning a production facility with the potential to serve a substantial "200 GWh market opportunity."

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/100110-us-department-energy-investing-400-million-zinc-bromine.html

 

[passwordistaco]

"Eos' Pennsylvania plant boasts a manufacturing capacity of approximately 540 megawatt-hours per year, although it currently operates below its full capacity."

If the product were really that great, wouldn't they be cranking them out as fast as possible? Why do they need the federal government to finance 80% of their expansion?

I'd love to have home solar with lots of highly durable battery storage, but so many of these "advancements" disappear along with the government money.

 

[Impudicus]

$400 Million... If these batteries are so much better than the lithium batteries, why haven't they taken over the market? Better and more afforable, but need $400 million of our tax dollars? Something just seems off here...

 

[WhiteLeaff]

It's not the first and it won't be the last that the government invests in technologies and companies doomed to failure... in fact, this whole article about the supposed miracle battery and doesn't have a single technical specification? How about at least presenting the round trip efficiency and gravimetric energy density.

 

[Aranarth]

Note that this is a battery for utility size deployments.

So SAFETY and COST are more important than size and weight.

Lithium Ion and LiFPo are used where Size and Weight are more important than cost and safety.

As you can now see there are several important considerations when selecting a battery for a specific task.

Weight (total weight compared to energy stored)
Volume (total amount of energy that can be stored in a specific volume
Safety (chemical make up, etc.)
Environment (is this a fixed location, portal, vehicle etc.)
maintenance cycle (MTBF etc. etc.)
Storage (mA/h per volume etc.)

So in a utility size deployment you want batteries that can store a lot of energy safely, with low or no maintenance, with a long life cycle measured in yearsor decades and low or lower cost. Size and Weight don't matter.

Compare that to a laptop battery..

 

[RudyBob]

How much petro to charge these babies?

 

[MyIOnU]

Hope it is not like when we invested millions or more into solar, and those companies were already dead.

 

[Lounds]

"Eos' Pennsylvania plant boasts a manufacturing capacity of approximately 540 megawatt-hours per year, although it currently operates below its full capacity."

If the product were really that great, wouldn't they be cranking them out as fast as possible? Why do they need the federal government to finance 80% of their expansion?

I'd love to have home solar with lots of highly durable battery storage, but so many of these "advancements" disappear along with the government money.

Socialism for the rich.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

Note that this is a battery for utility size deployments.

So SAFETY and COST are more important than size and weight.

Lithium Ion and LiFPo are used where Size and Weight are more important than cost and safety.

As you can now see there are several important considerations when selecting a battery for a specific task.

Weight (total weight compared to energy stored)
Volume (total amount of energy that can be stored in a specific volume
Safety (chemical make up, etc.)
Environment (is this a fixed location, portal, vehicle etc.)
maintenance cycle (MTBF etc. etc.)
Storage (mA/h per volume etc.)

So in a utility size deployment you want batteries that can store a lot of energy safely, with low or no maintenance, with a long life cycle measured in yearsor decades and low or lower cost. Size and Weight don't matter.

Compare that to a laptop battery..

Be that as it may... just like sodium batteries, iron air, ultra batteries, flow batteries and many others... where are the data on cost, efficiency and durability.

 

[Bobbydpue]

"Eos' Pennsylvania plant boasts a manufacturing capacity of approximately 540 megawatt-hours per year, although it currently operates below its full capacity."

If the product were really that great, wouldn't they be cranking them out as fast as possible? Why do they need the federal government to finance 80% of their expansion?

I'd love to have home solar with lots of highly durable battery storage, but so many of these "advancements" disappear along with the government money.

There is a lot more to this than just this article. The path from development to product isn't a short one.

 

[PEnnn]

Hope it is not like when we invested millions or more into solar, and those companies were already dead.

Dead?
You should leave your house and look around or keep up with the news. hundreds of companies offer soalr panels for houses and 1000s others for larger companies.

There are millions of acres covered with solar panels and many electric companies are using more solar panels by the day. But you think they're dead!

 

[SRB]

Note that this is a battery for utility size deployments.

So SAFETY and COST are more important than size and weight.

Lithium Ion and LiFPo are used where Size and Weight are more important than cost and safety.

As you can now see there are several important considerations when selecting a battery for a specific task.

Weight (total weight compared to energy stored)
Volume (total amount of energy that can be stored in a specific volume
Safety (chemical make up, etc.)
Environment (is this a fixed location, portal, vehicle etc.)
maintenance cycle (MTBF etc. etc.)
Storage (mA/h per volume etc.)

So in a utility size deployment you want batteries that can store a lot of energy safely, with low or no maintenance, with a long life cycle measured in yearsor decades and low or lower cost. Size and Weight don't matter.

Compare that to a laptop battery..

So what we're talking about here, is a battery about the same size and output as a corresponding lead acid battery but a bit lighter and less hazardous. Tell me, how big of a building would it take to house enough lead acid batteries to power a small city?

 

[SRB]

Dead?
You should leave your house and look around or keep up with the news. hundreds of companies offer soalr panels for houses and 1000s others for larger companies.

There are millions of acres covered with solar panels and many electric companies are using more solar panels by the day. But you think they're dead!

Yeah, but what they leave out is they start wearing the day they're installed, and I doubt you'd get even close to break even before they're cooked without the ridiculous subsidies given out to install these things.

 

[SRB]

There is nothing wrong with these alternative energy ideas, I just wish they'd quit telling us all of the great things without any of the limits and the drawbacks. This article is a good example. The energy density is on par with the old Ni Cad batteries (weight), but the power density (size) is the same as lead acid batteries. How big would a practical storage system for a small city or town be? How much will it cost? How long will it last? What will it take to service if cells are banks of x times y times z cells?

Due to El Nino, Texas where I'm at has been going through a heat wave. I'm sure the electrical grid warnings made the news due to record usage. Again, what they don't say, is that the capacity shortage is from the fact they built wind farms instead of natural gas power plants, and the wind farms have been putting out next to nothing during this summer.

Just level with us and let the market decide.

 

[MyIOnU]

Dead?
You should leave your house and look around or keep up with the news. hundreds of companies offer soalr panels for houses and 1000s others for larger companies.

There are millions of acres covered with solar panels and many electric companies are using more solar panels by the day. But you think they're dead!

Remembering “Solyndra” – How Many $570M Green Energy Failures Are Hidden Inside Biden’s Infrastructure Proposal?

The president’s new $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal includes the same kinds of “green energy” provisions that cost taxpayers billions following the 2009 stimulus bill – The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

www.forbes.com

 

[RandomWAN]

Yeah, but what they leave out is they start wearing the day they're installed, and I doubt you'd get even close to break even before they're cooked without the ridiculous subsidies given out to install these things.

It's also not account for the companies offering this because they short track people through applying for federal/state subsidies to pay for this crap. It's bad enough when our money gets stolen as taxes, but it's worse when these taxes are used to subsidize individuals wants instead of the needs that the taxes are supposedly collected for.

 

[raydpratt007]

Communist China demonstrated the evils of a government managing resources during China's "Cultural Revolution," and China has since demonstrated the success of managing capitalism and socialism under the same roof. We have fallen behind China in key areas of manufacturing and technology, and we have not adapted to the challenge. In the U.S., we still elect country bumpkins and Trumps (with the vocabulary of a muppet), and we get what we pay for. We simply do not have an elite group of national planners who can guide and lead us in the right directions. Somehow, that is changing, and business is being encouraged to expand and operate here in the U.S. rather than operating overseas. If the company in the story above were to expand solely from its own profits over time, it might take 30 years or more to get to where it could do any good. In the mean time, China would be funding similar efforts at home and we would be left behind once again.

 

[Aranarth]

So what we're talking about here, is a battery about the same size and output as a corresponding lead acid battery but a bit lighter and less hazardous. Tell me, how big of a building would it take to house enough lead acid batteries to power a small city?

You don't use plants like that to power a city, you use it for load balancing. If your primary source goes out, you might get 15 minutes before it is run dry.

Who said it had the same power density as lead acid batteries? the comparison made in the article for safety is compared to lithium ion.

oh and BTW lead acid batteries are designed for sudden currently delivery needed when you are starting an engine not for long term steady state load.

Like I said batteries are designed for specific uses.