- Enel has begun using reused Nissan electric vehicle batteries.
- Second-life initiatives utilising EV batteries for various applications are gaining traction.
A Spanish energy company, Enel, has begun using 78 reused Nissan electric vehicle (EV) batteries to power a 4MW/1.7MWh backup power storage system at a plant in Spain’s North African area.
The ‘Second Life’ project is housed at Endesa’s conventional power plant in Melilla. The battery energy storage system (BESS) was created by system integrator Loccioni and includes 48 unused EV batteries and 30 fresh batteries for performance comparison.
Melilla is a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast, and the electricity demands of its 90,000 residents are met by a local microgrid fueled by Endesa’s power plant. If the power plant fails, the BESS will be able to pump power into Melilla’s microgrid for 15 minutes, allowing the city to continue operating. Enel X Global Retail, the firm’s advanced energy solutions sector, is also working on a project to develop a 10MWh BESS employing obsolete EV batteries from various vehicle brands into a 30MW solar park at Rome Fiumicino airport, according to the company.