Innovation is at the heart of Europe’s clean energy transition

We’re in an exciting time for lead battery technology. The Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) has just announced the launch of a new technical innovation roadmap, aiming to unlock the potential of this technology in key areas such as performance and lifetime.

As Europe predicts a massive increase in demand for battery storage, 10 times more by 2050, the lead battery industry has recognised the continued need for innovation in a technology which is celebrating its 160^th birthday.

The EU’s use of renewable energy reached 17.5% in 2017, with specific targets varying for each member state. A number of European countries, such as Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and recently the UK, now have renewable electricity overtaking fossil fuels for the first time in their history.

Lead battery technology, a cost-effective, reliable and 99% recycled technology, will play a key role in the continued strive to fulfil Europe’s clean energy transition. This new campaign, Charge the Future, demonstrates the key ways this will happen, such as by providing innovative battery energy storage to match the growing demand for renewable energy.

CBI’s technical roadmap sets out ambitious goals to improve battery cycle life by 5 times by the year 2020 to 5,000 cycles – this key parameter is essential for utilities and renewable energy installations in reducing their operating costs.

Clean mobility is another key objective of the European Commission and aligns well with the targets set out in CBI’s innovation roadmap, where one of our highest priority research goals is to improve performance in dynamic charge acceptance (DCA), an essential feature for micro and mild-hybrid applications. This will ensure lead batteries remain an integral part of the automotive industry across Europe.

Furthermore, virtually every vehicle worldwide, including in the one million new electric vehicles to be sold in Europe in 2020, contain a lead battery which powers critical safety functions onboard.  This demonstrates the crucial role lead batteries will play in the electric vehicle revolution.

CBI is working with its European and global members to ensure its research projects deliver cutting-edge innovation to ensure lead battery technology continues to charge the future.

A hybrid energy storage facility, M5BAT in Aachen, is researching how to optimise lead battery performance as demand for renewable energy continues to grow