Australia's first lithium-ion giga-factory one step closer

Australia’s first lithium-ion battery giga-factory is a step closer to commencing operations with the successful completion of an AMGC co-invested program along with Energy Renaissance (ER). Initiated to design, commission and operate a pilot lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant and dubbed Project Apollo, the pilot facility was designed to develop, test and document the technology, systems and processes necessary to then commence operations to supply to customers ahead of full-scale manufacture. The company currently operates at its Apollo facility in Tomago producing up to 4 MWh of batteries per month and serving customers across Australia.

Completion of the pilot program is a crucial step in ER’s scale-up program before its moves into its custom-designed, 4500 m² Renaissance One manufacturing facility at Tomago, NSW. The facility will house over 700 employees and initially produce up to 300 MWh of energy storage annually, scaling to 5.3 GWh of energy storage per year.

Formed in 2015, ER says it will offer safe and affordable lithium-ion batteries, optimised for a low total cost of ownership in hot climates to satisfy rising domestic and export demand for grid-scale, lithium-ion battery storage systems. Leveraging local suppliers and supply chains, ER’s aim is to offer products that are as close to 100% Australian content as possible, with the company already at 92%.

“Just a few years ago we were told it wasn’t possible to manufacture in Australia,” said Brian Craighead, Development Director and Founder of Energy Renaissance. “Today, in the shadow of our soon-to-be-completed Renaissance One facility, I can tell you that it is absolutely possible to manufacture in Australia.

“With the support of organisations such as AMGC and our partners, we have been able to develop a world-leading lithium-ion battery for domestic and export use, and soon we hope to expand the impact of this program to add value to Australia’s abundant raw materials by embarking on cell manufacture.”

Completion of the pilot facility follows on from an earlier AMGC co-invested project where ER and CSIRO first developed a proprietary battery system (superRack and superPack), which is a unique plug-and-play prismatic cell system. This is combined with the Renaissance BMS, which is a CSIRO-developed cyber-secure battery management system comprising custom circuit boards, software and wiring that gives ER a competitive advantage in the global battery market.

“Energy Renaissance is proof positive that Australia can be a world leader in the renewable energy industry,” said Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director of AMGC. “Energy Renaissance’s approach typifies how we should be seeking to move away from our reliance on raw commodities and tap into our abundant human, commodities and manufacturing prowess to transform it into complex goods for local and export markets.

“Energy Renaissance didn’t stop when they developed a battery for hot and humid climates: they embarked on commercialising the technology and we are pleased to have been there to assist them. They are a shining light for others to follow.”

ER’s superStorage products will be the first lithium-ion battery energy storage system and battery management system committed to all-Australian materials to be manufactured in Australia, with the company already supplying batteries to local customers for use in industrial and commercial applications. Its SuperStorage platform will monitor, benchmark and self-diagnose battery performance autonomously and efficiently, supported by human intervention to develop customer specifications and deliver customer service.

The collaborative project, worth $1.47 million, was supported through a $525,072 co-investment administered by AMGC and matched by Energy Renaissance, with project partners contributing a further $427,681. Project participants include CSIRO, ATB Morton and Maccor. Energy Renaissance forecast $95.7 million in revenue directly related to this project (excluding the larger Renaissance One facility) over the next 5 years.

For further information on the AMGC-supported project, visit https://www.amgc.org.au/project/pilot-lithiumion- battery-manufacturing-plant/.

Image: Renaissance One facility under construction. Source: Energy Renaissance.