One of the main challenges created by the energy transition is flexibility and, specifically, understanding where on the grid flexibility resources should be deployed and to what extent these resources will be able to keep the grid in balance at any given time. As the penetration of intermittent energy increases, the need for flexibility will also increase in a context where the traditional sources of grid flexibility are gradually disappearing.
As electric mobility gains traction, “vehicle-to-everything" (V2X) connectivity will also grow, and, increasingly, vehicles will share data and power with other vehicles and with infrastructure. In this context, batteries will be key providers of flexibility and will play a major role in the overall economics of energy systems.
We are pursuing the following research objectives in this field:
- First, we ensure that we have
the latest information about advances in different battery chemistries through
an active technology intelligence program run in conjunction with CEA LITEN. We are keeping an eye on cost and performance, of course. But not only. Environmental impacts related to raw materials and GHG emissions throughout the battery lifecycle are also crucial.
- We are also looking at other technologies like the pumped-storage power stations (PSPS) and thermal energy storage. These investigations are carried out in the context of our hydrogen research so that different energy vectors and storage solutions can be effectively compared.
Our goal is to explore the challenges around integrating batteries into our energy system.
Some of the issues we are investigating include:
Electrification of mobility and the potential to decarbonize transportation.
According to the International Energy Agency, transportation is responsible for more than a third of GHG emissions. Our role is to assess the potential of the different technologies available to decarbonize the transportation sector. This will require research to:
- Optimally dimension (economically and environmentally) batteries for light and heavy transportation.
- Determine the potential of hybridizing with synthetic fuels and/or biofuels.
- Assess the benefits of electric roads.
By definition, this kind of research is cross-disciplinary and requires the intervention of specialists in hydrogen, e-fuels, and biofuels.
Contact : Arthur Clerjon