Nissan and multinational power company Enel have partnered to launch the Second Life project. Combining used Nissan electric vehicle batteries at a conventional power plant in Melilla, Spain, operated by the Enel Group’s Spanish subsidiary, Endesa, the project enhances grid stability to help meet the needs of an isolated network.
The project is based on circular economy principles, and has also been selected as a “member initiative” by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The Second Life project has already received major recognition in 2020 through the BASF – Sustainability Excellence Club (Club de Excelencia En Sostenibilidad) award in the category of Best Circular Economy Practice among large businesses. The award recognises the best Circular Economy practices in Spain, rewarding projects that address the challenges of limited natural resources through a variety of circular business models.
As part of the collaboration, Nissan has provided the batteries from its electric vehicles, while Loccioni, a system integrator, secured the proper integration between batteries needed for the circular process. The project leverages technology based on a simple idea: once the useful life of a battery within an electric vehicle has come to an end, these batteries are recycled and assembled in a large stationary storage system.
The system is integrated with Endesa’s Melilla facility to avoid the interruption of electricity supply during events of excessive load, to improve the reliability of the grid and to secure the continuity of network service to the local population. The back-up generator is composed of 48 used Nissan LEAF batteries and 30 new ones.
“At Nissan we believe the future is electrified. Through partnerships, we can make the future smarter and more efficient. The collaboration with Enel allowed us to create a model for a battery’s second life, which can be applied in many other use cases,” said Soufiane Elkhomri, Director of Energy Services for the Nissan Africa, Middle-East, India, Europe and Oceania region.
“This is a great example of the endless possibilities that come with reusing electric vehicle batteries as part of a circular economy.”
The used Nissan batteries provide a source of energy when they are interconnected and stored at Endesa’s Melilla facility, with a power of 4 MW and the ability to produce up to 1.7 MWh of energy. Should the power plant be disconnected from the system, the storage facility can inject energy into Melilla’s electricity grid for 15 minutes, which is enough time to reset the system and restart the power supply.
The Second Life project enhances grid stability to help meet the needs of an isolated network.
Melilla, which has a population of almost 90,000 inhabitants served by a local electricity network, is powered by Endesa’s plant and is isolated from the national distribution grid.
“The development of storage technology is key if we want to foster greater renewable penetration in our energy systems, so we can truly shape the power generation of the future,” said Salvatore Bernabei, CEO of Enel Green Power.
“Furthermore, in the Enel Group, we are strongly committed to using technology that complies with the principles of sustainability and circularity. Specifically, this project demonstrates that, in line with the Open Innovation principles, we can find solutions for the management of the end of life of essential equipment such as batteries, a topic which is at the core of the sustainable energy issue.”
