The reuse of electrified vehicle batteries as a means of integrating renewable energy into the European electricity grid: A policy and market analysis

The financial sense of reused automotive battery systems providing stationary energy storage is investigated in the paper. A comprehensive review of existing used batteries projects is presented, followed by an evaluation of individual European countries regulations and electricity market conditions. The authors performed detailed simulations of the Net Present Value of four battery system investments: residential solar panel + battery or battery-only, commercial/industrial level solar panel + battery and primary reserve battery investment. The combination of electricity prices and Feed in Tariff schemes can either act as an enabler or a barrier to the economics of battery investment. At the moment, the investment in used batteries makes sense mostly in Germany but countries such as UK and Italy or Spain could be future candidates. In terms of energy policy adjustments, appropriate financial incentives are necessary to encourage the investment in such systems. Most importantly, energy policy in EU should incentivise the use of 2nd hand automotive batteries for stationary applications.