Highlights

• Altech is a battery technology development company and its CERENERGY® GridPack comes with noiseless operation and low maintenance
• ATC’s Sodium-Alumina Solid State (SAS) GridPack is non-lithium based and has plug and play installation
• CERENERGY® GridPack has a stackable design and can be installed outdoors in any weather conditions

ASX-listed battery technology company Altech Batteries (ASX: ATC) has launched the design for CERENERGY® SAS GridPack (1.0MWh). The ABS1000 GridPack, which complies with IP65 standard (protection from dust and weather), has been designed for use in the renewable energy market and grid storage. One of the most important elements of this development is that ATC’s GridPack is Sodium-Alumina Solid State or SAS, which makes the technology non-lithium dependent.

Altech Batteries, which has a joint venture (JV) with world leading German research and development institute Fraunhofer, is also listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA) under the ticker A3Y.

Image source: company update

More about Altech GridPacks

Altech has launched a “pre-installed solution”, which reduces the task of installing separate ABS60 60KWh packs. This was designed after preliminary discussions with prospective off-takers. Altech’s GridPack will contain up to twenty 60KWh battery packs. These individual battery packs would be connected to pack power management system.

Altech’s solution has a “distinct rating” of 600 volts DC and 100 Ah, with a feature of being arranged in a cluster or array series. ATC asserts that this will enable the GridPacks to achieve the requisite rating, ranging to several thousand KWs for the functioning of the grid. The company has also released a video to explain these details on its website.

GridPacks also come with a plug and play feature, which facilitates easy installations at remote locations. Altech has made its solution stackable -- with the battery able to be stacked on top of one another -- to ensure minimisation of battery footprint. The two elements -- plug and play and stackable -- of GridPacks make them conveniently scalable, Altech states, which should enable meeting future energy storage needs of any installation site.

There are no cooling fans, which are typical of Li-ion battery packs. The feature makes GridPacks noise-free and enhances usability in residential areas. Notably, the solution has a low maintenance that reduces overall cost of ownership. Further, the internal temperature of GridPacks remains relatively constant during charging and discharging cycles. Altech also asserts that GridPacks promote efficient utilisation of renewable sources like wind and solar energy.

Altech believes that with a life span of more than fifteen years, zero fire and explosion hazards, and ability to operate in extreme temperatures, its CERENERGY GridPacks will be the first choice of customers looking for cost-effective, safe and longer lasting energy storage solutions.

Image source: ATC ASX announcement dated 29 March 2023

Background

Altech had announced a JV -- Altech holds 75% along with Altech Advanced Material AG -- in September last year with Fraunhofer IKTS (Germany), a prominent battery institute. The endeavour, aimed at commercialising the latter’s CERENERGY® innovation (with cost of production likely to be 40% less as compared to Li-ion batteries), which is a Sodium-Alumina Solid State Battery (lithium-free). The 100 MWh project, which would not require scarce raw materials like lithium, graphite, copper or Cobalt, is under development at Altech owned land in Schwarze Pumpe, Germany.

Shares jump on the latest development

The company’s ASX-listed shares traded at AU$0.086 at the time of writing on 28 March 2023, up more than 8% from the last close.