Lithium Ion Bobbin Cells for Grid Scale Energy Storage

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Program:
OPEN 2021
Award:
$1,498,533
Location:
New York, New York
Status:
ACTIVE
Project Term:
06/01/2022 - 05/31/2025

Critical Need:

Additional grid storage is needed to harness additional renewable electricity generation being brought online. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have the advantage of being an incumbent technology, but are expensive. The electric vehicle (EV) market still drives today’s large-format Li-ion battery, which prioritizes energy and power density. Batteries for load-shifting applications have a much longer charge and discharge cycle and do not need the same power density designed for the EV market. Grid storage batteries must also have a long useful life to amortize the initial capital cost.

Project Innovation + Advantages:

Columbia University aims to modulate the cycling behavior of conventional Li-ion battery materials in a bobbin cell format. The team will optimize electrode compositions, properties, and dimensions with corresponding cell configurations using standard commodity Li-ion materials and established bobbin cell manufacturing techniques. These cells will be suitable for 4-hour charge, and cost profiles amenable to 8-to-16-hour discharge. The team will produce Li-ion cells capable of cycling for more than 10 years at a discharge duration of 8 to 16 hours and a levelized cost of storage under $0.05/kWh.

Potential Impact:

By combining existing materials with longer duration form factors, like the bobbin cell, Columbia University will accelerate the cost curves for Li-ion grid scale storage cells from Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s forecasted time of~$50/kWh in 2035 to 2025. These cells will be suitable for daily, long duration grid storage applications.

Security:

Bobbin cells produced using existing commercial Li-ion battery materials and processes are well suited for daily many-hour duration (4h charge and 8-to-16h discharge) grid storage applications.

Environment:

The new design will increase the amount of energy storage to enable more efficient and cost-effective use of renewable electrical energy generation.

Economy:

The new design combines a mature set of battery chemistries with a commercial cell form factor to produce a battery that can lower the cost of future long duration storage technologies.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Halle Cheeseman
Project Contact:
Prof. Daniel Steingart
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
das2277@columbia.edu

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Release Date:
02/11/2021