Energy storage is essential for the European Union's (EU) energy system to achieve a large share of renewable energy, climate neutrality, and affordable energy costs. However, current energy storage solutions face various limitations such as limited storage time, use of toxic/flammable components, dependence on critical raw materials (CRMs), and high costs that restrict their large-scale deployment.
Metal-air batteries offer cheap and abundant active materials and high gravimetric energy density together with long-term stability. However, even in their more mature configuration, they cannot guarantee storage times beyond 4-12 hours, and the present mechanical recharging concepts increase operation and maintenance costs drastically. To address these challenges, HIPERZAB aims to design and validate an Electrically Rechargeable Zinc-Air Battery (ERZAB) for mid-term storage (days/weeks) coupled with renewables and electrolysers. For this purpose, HIPERZAB will develop three innovative components: (i) a 3D porous Zn/biopolymer composite anode, (ii) an eco-friendly bilayer gel electrolyte based on naturally occurring precursors, and (iii) a novel CRM-free cathode. These components will be integrated into a single device proposing a radically new battery design that enables the water/air management control during cycling and the durability/performance of materials and components.
HIPERZAB's developments will be guided by life cycle and circular economy approaches to ensure sustainable end-of-life options. Additionally, HIPERZAB aims to leverage the knowledge of fuel cells and shift from traditional sandwich-type design to an electrolyte supported compact design with a tuned current collector to better manage air/water distribution without using energy-consuming peripheries. HIPERZAB aims to impact multiple fields of science such as sustainable green chemistry, materials science, physical chemistry, catalysis, computational studies, and operando characterization techniques. The project will also support at least three Ph.D. researchers.
The exploitation plan of HIPERZAB is geared towards the global market scenario for Electrochemical Energy Storage (EES) beyond 2024. The outcomes of the project will enhance the EU's market-pull for new EES technologies, including storage for power systems, utility-scale renewable power plants, blocks of buildings, greenhouses, and industrial facilities. The project aims to deliver prospective energy storage at stack level 0.05 €/kWhcycle, projected to <80 €/kWh, positioning this technology in clear competition with those most TRL-advanced for stationary applications (hydrogen: 56 €/kWh, LIBs: 94-140 €/kWh). Upon scale-up, ERZAB can be easily located near the target site, is modular, and does not need long-range energy transportation, in principle, and stored energy self-consumed on-site.
HIPERZAB's consortium encompasses the whole value chain for RZAB fabrication, from materials/components developers to device/process engineering and scale-up to the manufacturer of innovations. Moreover, HIPERZAB aims to generate new markets for raw materials providers, such as metallurgic and biopolymer companies, in terms of business portfolio. Finally, HIPERZAB aims to get rid of the impact of CRMs on the costs and supply shortage of raw materials for the EU battery industry.
Project Partners:
- CIC ENERGIGUNE FUNDAZIOA, Spain
- CEGASA ENERGIA S.L.U., Spain
- SINTEF AS, Norway
- POLITECNICO DI TORINO, Italy
- FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE RECERCA DE L'ENERGIA DE CATALUNYA, Spain
- ADVENST ENERJI DEPOLAMA SISTEMLERI SANAYI VE TICARET ANONIM SIRKETI, Türkiye
- DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV, Germany
