US second-life energy storage firm B2U Storage Solutions has formed a strategic partnership with South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution (LG ES).
Announced 24 September, B2U will be able to repurpose battery energy storage system (BESS) cells from LG ES for grid-scale solutions.
The companies stated that the agreement looks to extend the life of the batteries through repurposing, keeping them in service for longer while deferring both the costs and environmental impacts of recycling.
Earlier this month, B2U put the 28MWh Bexar Martinez BESS project into commercial operation near San Antonio, Texas. The System was built using repurposed electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
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In June, the company secured a strategic supply agreement with autonomous vehicle company Waymo, seeing the batteries retired from automotive use in Waymo’s fleet being installed into grid-scale BESS projects.
Second life BESS companies have been fairly active this year. In May, second life BESS firm Moment Energy announced a US$40 million Series B funding round to accelerate its battery factory.
Redwood Energy, the energy storage division of Redwood Materials, also makes use of repurposed EV batteries, and discussed the process with Energy-Storage.news Premium in March.
In August, LG ES began production at its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery cell factory in Lansing, Michigan.
Following that news, LG ES said it would source 8,000 metric tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate sourced in Arkansas from Smackover Lithium, over a period of 10 years.
