Article published on mars 2008ENERGY STORAGE
Test batteries designed to control tomorrow's energy sources
Set up at France's National Solar Energy Institute (INES) and run by CEA, the Energy Storage platform tests new-generation storage batteries. The aim is to assess battery performance and develop storage strategies.
Developing intermittent energy sources,
such as solar and wind power, implies
new storage requirements that constitute
an essential new development for large-scale
deployment. With the growing trend
to delocalise production, it is essential to
design appropriate storage solutions and
intelligent management strategies for
these energy sources. At the National Solar
Energy Institute (INES), CEA runs the Energy
Storage platform which is used to develop
new-generation storage batteries.
The platform is a unique in Europe, and, in
particular, includes facilities designed to
deal with the risks related to hydrogen and
fire, as well as a test platform boasting
nearly 100 test channels, together with
electrochemical and chemical engineering
laboratories. This provides industrial
manufacturers with the support they
need to perform technical and economic
performance tests: charge and discharge
power values, efficiency, ageing, etc. Its main
advantages are: the high level of flexibility
afforded by the facilities, the power range,
from 300 W to 130 kW, and the vast choice
of technologies available (lead, lithium and
nickel, etc.). The platform is also equipped
for developing the modelling and simulation
stages for energy management strategies.
In the last three years, it has registered
about ten patents, notably one regarding a
fast method for recharging batteries using
a pulsed current.
Lastly, over the last two years, and based on
the same principle, the platform has been
tackling the problem of onboard storage
systems for new-generation electric
and hybrid vehicles. It is also carrying
out experiments on lithium batteries in
conjunction with a number of automobile
manufacturers.
