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Released August 16, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have become an integral part of modern life, powering everything from laptops to mobile phones to emissions-free electric vehicles as well providing energy storage for power grids. However, these batteries are not without their drawbacks. Lithium-ion batteries can be prone to overheating, which can lead to thermal runaway and possibly fire or explosions. They don't perform well in extreme temperatures, as cold temperatures can reduce their capacity and efficiency and hot temperatures accelerate degradation and can increase the risk of thermal runaway. Lithium mining can also lead to environmental degradation through heavy water consumption and possible chemical pollution. To this end, some battery producers in the U.S. are seeking alternatives to the market dominant lithium-ion battery. Such batteries employ a range of alternative materials, including zinc, nickel and even hemp products.
One alternative battery project in the U.S. aims to produce batteries from three of Earth's most common elements: iron, air and water. Form Energy (Somerville, Massachusetts) plans to become the world's first commercial producer of iron-air batteries at a repurposed former steel mill in Weirton, West Virginia.
While the chemistry and process of iron-air batteries is undoubtedly complex, they essentially operate through the rusting process, which causes energy to be released. Iron-air batteries capture this energy, turning it into electrical current. To recharge, the rusting process is reversed, putting electricity back in the process to return the iron to metallic form. Form Energy is developing the batteries for the energy-storage market, which the company has found is in need of batteries with 100 or more hours of discharge time, which Form believes can be achieved through its iron-air batteries. Form claims this type of battery stores energy at less than one-tenth the cost of lithium-ion batteries.
Form kicked off construction on its West Virginia plant last year, employing Massaro CM Services LLC (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) as the general contractor. While some of the existing buildings of a former steel mill are being renovated for Form's use, the project also entails constructing an 800,000-square-foot building to produce the batteries. The plant is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Development of another alternative to lithium-ion batteries, aqueous zinc-ion batteries, also is seeing some movement in the U.S. Zinc is a much more abundant element than lithium, making it a lower-cost material for the manufacture of batteries. In addition, zinc is considerably more stable in ambient conditions, and the use of a water-based electrolyte in aqueous zinc-ion batteries eliminates the risks of fires or explosions from flammable substances. Like iron-air batteries, these batteries are primarily aimed at the grid energy storage market.
Aqueous zinc-ion battery producer EOS Energy Enterprises Incorporated (Edison, New Jersey) in August 2023 received a conditional loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy for the addition of up to four production lines at its plant in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. The first of these lines began production in July and is ramping up to its planned 1.25 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of annual production capacity. Additional lines are expected to be completed as time passes, with the project reaching completion in 2026. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
EnerVenue Incorporated (Fremont, California) is hoping to be on the cutting edge for a new type of battery as it begins the completion process for its plant to manufacture nickel-hydrogen "energy storage vessels" in Shelby County, Kentucky. According to the company, compared with lithium-ion batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries pose much lower risk of starting fires and feature a longer life at an expected 30 years and 30,000 cycles. The long life of the batteries reduces battery costs in the long run, as augmentation to maintain performance becomes less necessary. Other advantages include their lower production costs. However, these batteries don't function as well at high temperatures. In addition, nickel-hydrogen batteries are often heavier and don't have the energy density as newer lithium-ion technology.
Construction of EnerVenue's plant kicked off last summer and entails construction of a more-than 1 million-square-foot building. When completed, which is expected to occur late next year, the company will begin ramping up the plant's production capacity to 1 GWh per year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
AEsir Technologies (Joplin, Missouri) has big plans for a plant in Rapid City, South Dakota, that will manufacture nickel-zinc batteries. This type of battery is less prone to overheating, offers high energy density and discharge rates, and is often lower in cost than lithium-ion batteries. Disadvantages include their shorter cycle life, which could lead to the need for more frequent replacements, and low voltage output, meaning more batteries and space may be required to achieve the same nominal voltage as other battery types.
AEsir is positioning its zinc-nickel batteries to serve in data centers, military applications such as submarines and weapons systems, and the aerospace sector. Construction on the first phase of a potential four phases of its plant is expected to kick off next summer and take about a year to complete. Three subsequent phases will provide additional buildings and manufacturing space to achieve AEsir's goal of producing 1.2 million batteries per year. The fourth and final phase of the plant is slated to potentially be ready in 2028. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
In what is perhaps one of the more esoteric U.S. battery projects, Sustainable Communities Corporation (Youngstown, Ohio), through its Wisconsin Battery Company subsidiary, is seeking to begin construction early next year of a plant to manufacture rechargeable batteries from hemp products in Portage, Wisconsin. Hemp carbon batteries provide a more sustainable means of battery production due to hemp's renewable qualities. In addition, its biodegradability could also reduce environmental impact. Hemp carbon also is lighter. All signs point to this being a very experimental battery technology, yet Wisconsin Battery is willing to give production a go in Portage. Construction of the 100,000-square-foot plant is anticipated to both start and be completed next year. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
One alternative battery project in the U.S. aims to produce batteries from three of Earth's most common elements: iron, air and water. Form Energy (Somerville, Massachusetts) plans to become the world's first commercial producer of iron-air batteries at a repurposed former steel mill in Weirton, West Virginia.
While the chemistry and process of iron-air batteries is undoubtedly complex, they essentially operate through the rusting process, which causes energy to be released. Iron-air batteries capture this energy, turning it into electrical current. To recharge, the rusting process is reversed, putting electricity back in the process to return the iron to metallic form. Form Energy is developing the batteries for the energy-storage market, which the company has found is in need of batteries with 100 or more hours of discharge time, which Form believes can be achieved through its iron-air batteries. Form claims this type of battery stores energy at less than one-tenth the cost of lithium-ion batteries.
Form kicked off construction on its West Virginia plant last year, employing Massaro CM Services LLC (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) as the general contractor. While some of the existing buildings of a former steel mill are being renovated for Form's use, the project also entails constructing an 800,000-square-foot building to produce the batteries. The plant is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Development of another alternative to lithium-ion batteries, aqueous zinc-ion batteries, also is seeing some movement in the U.S. Zinc is a much more abundant element than lithium, making it a lower-cost material for the manufacture of batteries. In addition, zinc is considerably more stable in ambient conditions, and the use of a water-based electrolyte in aqueous zinc-ion batteries eliminates the risks of fires or explosions from flammable substances. Like iron-air batteries, these batteries are primarily aimed at the grid energy storage market.
Aqueous zinc-ion battery producer EOS Energy Enterprises Incorporated (Edison, New Jersey) in August 2023 received a conditional loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy for the addition of up to four production lines at its plant in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. The first of these lines began production in July and is ramping up to its planned 1.25 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of annual production capacity. Additional lines are expected to be completed as time passes, with the project reaching completion in 2026. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
EnerVenue Incorporated (Fremont, California) is hoping to be on the cutting edge for a new type of battery as it begins the completion process for its plant to manufacture nickel-hydrogen "energy storage vessels" in Shelby County, Kentucky. According to the company, compared with lithium-ion batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries pose much lower risk of starting fires and feature a longer life at an expected 30 years and 30,000 cycles. The long life of the batteries reduces battery costs in the long run, as augmentation to maintain performance becomes less necessary. Other advantages include their lower production costs. However, these batteries don't function as well at high temperatures. In addition, nickel-hydrogen batteries are often heavier and don't have the energy density as newer lithium-ion technology.
Construction of EnerVenue's plant kicked off last summer and entails construction of a more-than 1 million-square-foot building. When completed, which is expected to occur late next year, the company will begin ramping up the plant's production capacity to 1 GWh per year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
AEsir Technologies (Joplin, Missouri) has big plans for a plant in Rapid City, South Dakota, that will manufacture nickel-zinc batteries. This type of battery is less prone to overheating, offers high energy density and discharge rates, and is often lower in cost than lithium-ion batteries. Disadvantages include their shorter cycle life, which could lead to the need for more frequent replacements, and low voltage output, meaning more batteries and space may be required to achieve the same nominal voltage as other battery types.
AEsir is positioning its zinc-nickel batteries to serve in data centers, military applications such as submarines and weapons systems, and the aerospace sector. Construction on the first phase of a potential four phases of its plant is expected to kick off next summer and take about a year to complete. Three subsequent phases will provide additional buildings and manufacturing space to achieve AEsir's goal of producing 1.2 million batteries per year. The fourth and final phase of the plant is slated to potentially be ready in 2028. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
In what is perhaps one of the more esoteric U.S. battery projects, Sustainable Communities Corporation (Youngstown, Ohio), through its Wisconsin Battery Company subsidiary, is seeking to begin construction early next year of a plant to manufacture rechargeable batteries from hemp products in Portage, Wisconsin. Hemp carbon batteries provide a more sustainable means of battery production due to hemp's renewable qualities. In addition, its biodegradability could also reduce environmental impact. Hemp carbon also is lighter. All signs point to this being a very experimental battery technology, yet Wisconsin Battery is willing to give production a go in Portage. Construction of the 100,000-square-foot plant is anticipated to both start and be completed next year. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
