Energy: Italian debut with Battery2030 + for EU action plan on new generation batteries

Italian premiere for Battery2030 +, the Flagship project of the European strategy on latest generation storage systems for mobility and power grids, which focuses on research to increase the competitiveness of EU industry and reduce the gap with Asian producers. The Polytechnic University of Turin and ENEA, which participate in Battery2030 + for Italy in the "core board" and "supporting organizations" respectively, brought together the main protagonists of the sector (including the European Commission, Confindustria, CNR, Enel, FCA, RSE and Terna), at the presentation event in Rome organized under the aegis of System Research,

"With this initiative, the EU Commission aims at developing a European research, development and production chain of batteries, contributing to a progressive abandonment of fossil fuels for a wider diffusion of electric mobility and renewables through energy storage", Gian Piero Celata, Head of the ENEA Energy Technology Department, explained.

According to EU estimates, starting from 2025 the battery market will reach a turnover of 250 billion euro a year, leading to approximately 5 million new jobs.

“Appointed by MiSE and MIUR delegates, ENEA experts took part in the SET-Plan working group on batteries and set up an informal national working group comprising research institutions, companies, trade associations and universities, with the aim of intensifying cooperation and partnership with the main national players, sharing information on funding and research and development initiatives from the EU ", Celata said.

Currently the reference technology for the production of storage systems is based on lithium, a sector -however- in which the European share in the world market remains extremely limited (3%). The dominance of Asian producers is further confirmed by the latest estimates of the International Energy Agency on electric mobility, which shows China as the leader, with 1.2 million electric cars sold in 2018, over half of the world total.

“The energy transition to renewable sources requires an acceleration in storage systems development,  because of their decisive function in balancing the electricity grid and the electrification of mobility, especially considering that batteries account for 40% of the value of new cars. This is why the need to improve the performance of storage systems in terms of energy density and life cycles, using innovative materials with low environmental impact, is growing. At the ENEA laboratories we are experimenting with both solid-state and advanced lithium-ion batteries with nanostructured silicon and graphite. Furthermore, among the most promising storage systems, we are focusing on sulfur and sodium ion batteries, which in the future could replace lithium ions mainly in stationary use but also in electric mobility, with numerous advantages in terms of safety. reduction of production costs and above all performance, with shorter charging times and greater autonomy", Gian Piero Celata concluded.