- Altech Chemicals and research institute Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has progressed plans for a 100MWh plant in Germany to produce the latter’s energy storage-focused sodium solid-state battery technology.
- The battery pack is called ABS60, and Altech claimed that a ‘leading German energy producer’ has expressed interest in the product.
Altech Chemicals and research institute Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has progressed plans for a 100MWh plant in Germany to produce the latter’s energy storage-focused sodium solid-state battery technology. The pair executed a joint venture agreement in September 2022 to commercialise Fraunhofer’s ‘CERENERGY’ sodium alumina solid-state battery, designed for the renewable energy and grid storage market.
A preliminary plant and site layout have been completed, key equipment suppliers have been finalised, and integration planning is now underway. Civil engineering firm Arikon Infrastruktur has been appointed to manage the approval process, site infrastructure requirements, and balance of plant for the site. A definitive feasibility study (DFS) is also being prepared by Altech, which will seek to confirm the firms’ claim that CERENERGY batteries will be around 40% cheaper than lithium-ion ones, mainly due to not containing lithium, graphite, copper or cobalt.
The battery pack is called ABS60, and Altech claimed that a ‘leading German energy producer’ has expressed interest in the product. Altech is exploring state and federal-level grant schemes in Germany and the EU to support the financing of the project, as well as banks for commercial financing. The solid-state batteries have a non-porous solid-state ceramic separator instead of a permanent, electrolyte-filled anode and a porous separator between the cathode and anode, as with conventional batteries. As the ions, whether lithium, sodium, or any other metal, pass from the cathode through the separator, they form a pure metal-ion anode. This enables a higher energy density, faster charging and safer operation, companies in the space claim.