Used EV Batteries Get New Life Supporting the Texas Power Grid

In Texas, retired EV batteries are being repurposed to shore up the state’s unstable electric grid, reports Arcelia Martin in Inside Climate News.

The project is led by B2U Storage Solutions, which will reuse the key materials in the batteries to extend their life for another eight years. “Once the site is built and in operation later this year, the batteries will charge when there is an excess of renewable energy production on the grid and the cost of power is cheap. The Texas facility will have a total capacity of 24 megawatt hours.” Another company, Element Energy, began storing power using retired EV batteries in Texas last year.

According to Martin, “Batteries have made significant capacity contributions within Texas’ electric grid in recent years and have been credited with helping prevent summer blackouts by bolstering grid reliability.” As more EVs hit U.S. roads, more batteries will be available for repurposing. According to Freeman Hall, B2U co-founder and CEO, the technology hasn’t gotten much buzz yet, “But you will be hearing a lot more about it going forward.”