Highlights
- The 60 KWh (ABS60) packs are being produced in Germany and will be available for testing at customer premises
- JV partners ATC and Fraunhofer carried out extensive cycling simulations to assess the temperature profile
- Once produced, cyclic testing under extreme conditions would be undertaken to evaluate the battery packs
Altech Batteries Limited (ASX: ATC, FRA:A3Y) -- developing CERENERGY® Sodium Chloride Solid State (SAS) storage solutions in a JV arrangement with Fraunhofer IKTS -- has informed that the company is currently producing and fabricating two prototypes of the 60KWh battery pack. The prototypes are being produced at the Fraunhofer facility in Germany. Packs would eventually be available for testing at customer premises.
Source: Company update
Shares gain over 6%
Altech shares, listed with ticker ATC on the ASX, traded at AU$0.1 on 9 May 2023, gaining more than 6% from the last close.
The development
Altech Batteries Limited is producing and fabricating two prototypes of CERENERGY® Sodium Chloride Solid State 60 KWh battery packs (rated operating voltage 600 volts at 100 amp) in Hermsdorf, Germany. These packs have utility in the renewable energy and grid storage industries. The design was launched in November last year, following which the JV partners (Altech and Fraunhofer) undertook extensive cycling simulations with the goal of assessing the temperature profile of internal components.
Altech states that these simulations show that the battery can undergo charge and discharge cycles with no irregularity in terms of internal temperatures. This comes with no instance of overheating, no matter extreme weather conditions like a desert environment with ambient temperature of 60°C. Simulation results have helped finalise the specification of the battery packs. The company has placed orders for the materials required to produce two prototype batteries.
Source: Company update
Background
In September last year, Altech and German institute Fraunhofer joined forces to provide an alternative to li-ion batteries in the grid storage market. The JV company has Altech and Altech Advanced Materials AG as the majority owner (75%).
CERENERGY® batteries being produced now have a lifespan of over 15 years, with no need to procure critical metals like lithium and cobalt during the production process.
In March this year, ATC unveiled the 1.0 MWh GridPack design, which comes with "plug and play" design element and can have up to 18 (eighteen) 60 KWh (ABS60) battery packs connected to the power management system. Altech states that the packs' stackable and plug and play design features make them an "obvious choice" for battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Statement by ATC Managing Director
Mr. Iggy Tan commented that the progress made on the final designs of the battery packs in a short duration is "outstanding". He also said that a team comprising experts from Altech, Fraunhofer, leading German engineering companies and contractors is working on the project.