ASX-listed battery manufacturer Altech Chemicals has unveiled its CERENERGY Sodium Alumina Solid State 60 kWh battery pack, ABS60.
Designed to cater to the renewable energy and grid storage market, the battery was developed as part of its joint venture with German battery institute Fraunhofer.
According to preliminary discussions with potential off-takers for the 100 MWh CERENEGY battery project, the proposed battery module for 10 kWh has been superseded by a 60 kWh battery pack rated at a higher voltage of 620 volts and 100 amp hours.
Altech entered a JV agreement with Fraunhofer in September to commercialise the German company’s cutting-edge CERENERGY Sodium Alumina Solid State Battery.
The ABS60 battery pack is equipped with 240 CERENERGY arranged in four rows of 12 cells and five cell modules high.
The packs are designed for Ingress Protection 65 standard, which makes them dust and weatherproof.
The ABS60 battery packs are also fire-proof, allowing them to be safely installed indoors where lithium-ion batteries are prohibited.
“Since the CERENERGY batteries can operate at a very wide temperature range, minus (-) 40 deg C to plus (+) 60 deg C, the battery pack will be ideal for the cold European climates,” Altech Chemicals said in its ASX announcement today.
As part of the agreement, Altech will be the majority owner at 75 per cent of the JV company, which will commercialise a 100 MWh project, which will be constructed on Altech’s property in Schwarze Pumpe, Germany.
The battery plant will now be designed to produce ABS60 battery packs as a standard product to meet Europe’s renewable energy and grid storage market.
Fraunhofer has estimated that the production cost of CERENERGY batteries would be approximately 40 per cent cheaper than that of lithium-ion batteries, as it does not require lithium, graphite, copper, or cobalt.
