Exploring the opportunities and impact of sustainable batteries in East Africa
The high cost of batteries and the large amount of waste created when they reach their end of life – some much earlier than expected – increases the overall cost of ownership of the battery and reduces the reliability of the solution. In order to address the “energy trilemma”, all battery solutions must find a balance between sustainability, reliability and affordability.
SF partner Aceleron has taken on the challenges of improving access to services for rural Africans by reducing the cost of ownership of e-mobility for taxi-driving and by ensuring consistent access to energy for productive use through the use of novel mini-grids.
A report was commissioned by Aceleron and Shell Foundation, co-funded by UK aid from the UK Government, as part of the Transforming Energy Access platform. The objective of this research was to test the feasibility of second-life battery packs in larger standalone productive use and mini-grid settings. The findings outlined in this report provide promising data to confirm second-life batteries are feasible in these settings and can provide benefits to local people.