Energy storage technology enables widespread power supply

What if we could not only provide energy to the places around the world that need it most, but also provide it cost-effectively? This is a question often asked when talking about developing countries, where the power grid is often in the early stages of development. Without the ability to store energy and regulate its use during times of peak demand, power outages, brownouts and even energy shortages are inevitable. The core problem is energy storage: there are no cost-effective batteries available on the market to supplement the existing grid infrastructure.

In addition, another industry has its own problems. Electric vehicles (EVs) are seen as the future of transportation as an environmentally friendly alternative to internal combustion engines and fossil fuels. But EVs have an Achilles' heel: What happens when the half-ton battery can no longer hold enough power to drive the car? The current better solution is to recycle these batteries to recover raw materials, but this method is costly, unregulated, and has no clearly defined supply chain. As a result, the Institute for Energy Research predicts that by 2025, the number of discarded electric vehicle batteries worldwide will exceed 3.4 million.

To achieve better energy storage technology, the world needs better batteries, and Analog Devices has made significant progress in providing the electronics required to achieve this. These technological breakthroughs are due to our continuous improvement of battery management systems (BMS). Building on our leadership in wired BMS, we recently developed breakthrough wireless BMS (WBMS) technology, which eliminates the need for battery wiring harnesses. Wireless battery management systems provide OEMs with greater flexibility to expand electric vehicle platforms to multiple models, enabling flexible, reusable, and cost-saving platforms while also providing the data needed to support the cascade utilization of battery packs.

All of these advances combine to improve the feasibility of technologies that enable the second life of batteries, such as energy storage systems, or ESS. ESS enables renewable energy devices (such as wind turbines, solar panels, etc.) to capture and store energy and support the grid during peak hours. This approach is further improved by the reliable data collection capabilities of WBMS sensors. Before deciding to put a battery into the second life, sellers can use this data to generate a health history: How many times has the EV owner fully or partially charged and discharged the battery; has the EV ever been in an accident; what can be seen from the vehicle's maintenance record? This granular health monitoring can also be applied in places where data cannot be collected logistically.

In the end, ADI is helping solve two of the world’s biggest energy problems with one amazing battery. Repurposing electric vehicle batteries to store sustainable energy is now feasible in developing countries, making electric vehicles more economically viable. For us, this is just another milestone in our ongoing quest to make life better for humanity.