Revive & Recharge: The Second-Life EV Battery Challenge

Qatar’s renewable energy ambition is accelerating the need for large-scale grid energy storage to balance intermittency from solar generation and maintain stability of supply. KAHRAMAA has indicated that renewable capacity is expected to grow significantly toward 2030, and that grid-scale storage projects (e.g., a first ~500 MW “mega storage” battery project) are under consideration / early design stages.

At the same time, used EV lithium-ion batteries (from vehicles reaching end-of-life or no longer meeting automotive performance requirements) are becoming an emerging waste stream. As KAHRAMAA is considered a leader and pioneer in the region we like to solve both challenges. The second-life use of EV batteries in stationary applications is promising—but grid-scale deployment requires more than a generic feasibility study. KAHRAMAA is seeking a solution that can translate second-life battery potential into an engineering design and an early pilot demonstration that balances three pillars: 

• Technical (e.g. grid stability, safety, performance across scenarios)
• Environmental (e.g. life extension, pollution prevention, sustainability)
• Economic (e.g. total cost vs. new batteries, bankability, operations & maintenance)