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EVENT REVIEW: BCI

2019 BCI Convention & Power Mart Expo
April 28-April 30 • New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Convention discusses advanced lead,

electricity grids, accepts lithium

The annual Battery Council develop its alloy, known as Supersoft-
International meetings opened with a Hycycle, which enhances lead battery
difference this year reflecting a change performance.
of direction for the convention taken Tim Ellis, president of RSR
by its new executive vice president, Technologies, said: “This has
Keith Moran. been a tremendous opportunity to
The emphasis continued to be on dramatically improve the performance
the huge networking opportunities of the active material in lead batteries
that the meetings provide for the great to reach the full theoretical potential
and the good of North America’s lead of the lead battery system.
battery industry. “We can compete and win against
But this year there was a palpable lithium in many applications with
difference. higher performance.
For the first time two sessions “The work at Argonne has
looked at the impact that lithium was helped us understand the physical
having on the industry — and from a processes taking place in real time
positive viewpoint too. There is now inside batteries to develop higher
a real acknowledgement that lithium performance advanced lead batteries.
has an important role to play in the Our Supersoft-Hycycle lead really
new energy storage landscape that is improves cycle life as validated by
emerging across the continent. many of our customers, especially
But it’s very much a recognition that in higher temperature and extreme
the lead industry is changing too. operating conditions.”
“I don’t think there’s a single US The alloy is already being used by
battery maker that isn’t also working South African battery firm Auto-X,
on either providing a lithium product the maker of the Willard brand of
or already has products in place,” batteries.
one consultant told ESJ. Certainly as yesterday’s news and outdated. Kelvin Naidoo, Willard’s
all the major players US players — A shame given that much of this is manufacturing and technical director,
think East Penn, Exide Technologies, disinformation. said: “The results are spectacular
Trojan (now part of C&D) and As in previous years the winner’s and showed vastly improved cycling
Clarios (formerly part of JCI’ — have ceremony at the start of the convention and greatly reduced water loss —
products in place. was eagerly awaited. This year the the holy grail for lead batteries…
The choice of speakers reflected this annual award for the most important We are getting results that we can’t
change too. The keynote address for and innovative achievement in 2018 understand because we expect there
the opening meeting was given by went to RSR Technologies for a to be a failure amount and we’re not
Curt Hébert, a former chairman, of development that helps level the getting one at all.
the US Federal Energy Regulatory playing field between lead and lithium “In Africa with the high temperatures
Commission who argued persuasively battery performance. you expect grid corrosion and we’ve
that energy storage was going to be BCI said the award was given in just tested some imported batteries
a huge growth area in supporting recognition of the combination of in the field, which all failed. But this
electricity markets throughout the RSR’s research into the fundamentals alloy is performing remarkably well.”
country. So far North American grid of lead battery charging and Naidoo said he expected the new
use of battery energy storage has discharging and the resultant use of material will prove to be a spectacular
been almost entirely using lithium a ground-breaking alloy that can game changer for the lead battery
products. double cycle life and vastly reduce industry.
Given the scale of the deployment water loss. Supersoft-Hycycle is undergoing
required there is a clear need for every RSR, working with East Penn trials with half a dozen companies in
available battery chemistry to be used. Manufacturing and the US Argonne North America and Europe. Ellis says
A point argued by at least two of the National Laboratory, has been using he anticipates it will be fully available
speakers. Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source commercially by the end of the third
The continued price advantage synchrotron to look at, in real time, quarter.
lead has over lithium and its easy the crystallization of lead plates at
recyclability suggested that lead the atomic level during the charging The 2020 BCI Convention & Power
should be a more prominent player and discharging process. The results Mart Expo will next be held in Las
but it still continues to be regarded of the research enabled the firm to Vegas on April 26-28.

52 • Energy Storage Journal • Summer 2019 www.energystoragejournal.com