Yet-Ming ChiangDepartment of Materials Science and EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Hybridizing Renewable Energy and The Grid: Research and Technology Needs in Massive Energy Storage

Hybridizing Renewable Energy and The Grid: Research and Technology Needs in Massive Energy Storage

Congressional Briefing, June 16, 2009, Washington, DC

Two huge industries are transforming….

Battery Industry

Storage is the problem and the solution...

Consider That Vehicles Have Multiple Levels of Electrification

ICEHEV

PHEV

BEV

enginebattery

3

Toyota PriusHonda InsightFord Escape

A123/Hymotion conversionGM VoltChrysler 200C

Tesla RoadsterChrysler Circuit

Fisker KarmaTH!NK City

Ratio of Power(kW) to Stored Energy(kWh)Varies from ~100 (HEV) to ~1 (BEV)*

HEV

PHEV

EVCharge-depleting

Charge-sustaining

*Comparison: The Design P/E is ~0.25 for Wind, Solar

Similarly, the Grid will be Hybridized

Where storage can help

Wind and Solar are Intermittent Sources(not “dispatchable”)

US: 3% renewables

Frequency Regulation Example (GE)

Frequency Regulation: Frequent charge and discharge pulses, but net energy transferred is zero.

Analogous to a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)…

Load following is longer‐term analog to regulation: vary generation to meet hour‐to‐hour variations in load

Impact of Storage Time Constant:Wind+Battery Example (NEDO)

Comparing Time Constant and Total Power for Automotive and Grid

8

EV

PHEV

HEV

Recent example: Impact of DOE Basic Science

Recent Advances in Li-Ion Batteries for Transportation

“Extreme” pack engineering using

commodity laptop cells, individually cooled and

monitored

Example: Tesla Roadster

Derivatives of oxide chemistry from

previous generation Li-ion (aim to improve

safety, life)

Examples:• Lithium Nickel Cobalt

Aluminum (SAFT, PEVE)• Lithium Manganese Spinel

(LG, NEC, Hitachi)• Lithium Manganese Nickel

Cobalt (Sanyo)• Mixtures of various oxides

New chemistries that are intrinsically safer, high

power, long-life, low-cost

Example: Nanoscale Olivines

Engineering solution New ChemistryImprove 1st Gen Chemistry

Electric

Formula 1 Racing: Pushing the Outer Performance Envelope of Hybrid Electric Drive

• 2009: McLaren-Mercedes teams with A123 Systems to develop KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems)

• Opening race of 2009 season in Melbourne, AUS

• Lewis Hamilton, 2008 World Champion, starts in 18th

position (out of 20) and finishes 4th

Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) in Action

Battery State-of-Charge

Mercedes High Performance Engines

MelbourneMarch 2009

Frequency Regulation with theWorld’s largest Li-Ion Battery

• 2 MW power, 90% round-trip efficiency• 0.5 MWh stored energy• 82,000 cylindrical cells• 1.2 tonnes cathode material• 2.3 x 1017 nanoparticles (40 nm dia.)

Why science breakthroughs still needed for automotive……

15 kWh for 40 mile PHEV

75 kWh for 200 mile BEV

Range (miles) x 300 Wh/mile

0.8 (20% reserve capacity)==

÷ 110 Wh/kg 136 kg for 40 mile PHEV

681 kg for 200 mile BEV

==

÷ 220 Wh/L 68 L for 40 mile PHEV

341 L for 200 mile BEV

==

x US$0.50/Wh US$7500 for 40 mile PHEV

US$37,500 for 200 mile BEV

==

Energy

Mass

Volume

Cost

Not to mention that charging a 75 kWh pack in 1h takes 75 kW; in 5 min takes 900 kW…..

Typical ofcurrentLi-ion

Targetcost

(too heavy!)

(too big!)

(tooexpensive!)~Similar cost to Na-S

Massive Energy Storage Is Even More Demanding in Terms of Scalability, Cost, Safety, Life

A123 Multi-

MW Li-Ion

Battery System

EV

PHEV

HEV

Main MES Options:• Pumped Hydro• Compressed Air• Sodum-sulfur• Redox flow• Lithium-ion

Why Electrochemical Storage:• Higher energy density

than all but nuclear• Use it anywhere• Can be safe, long-life• Can use low-cost, earth-

abundant materials

Challenge: No current system combines all of these attributes in the same battery

Interdependence in the Energy Ecosystem

Grid-scale energy

storage

PHEV, E-REV, EV