AEW Energie AG puts salt battery into operation
AEW Energie AG has put the first salt-based battery into operation. The Innovenergy battery is intended to be an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for environmentally conscious single and multi-family home owners.
In the future, AEW will provide its AEW myHome customers with an environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries. For this purpose, the energy supplier in the Aarau area has added a salt battery storage system from Innovenergy GmbH to its range, according to a media release . The provider from Meiringen BE assembles and sells the battery system.
The salt battery can be integrated into the overall AEW myHome system. This consists of a heat pump, photovoltaic system with storage, electric charging station and a smart controller. This makes the new type of battery suitable for single and multi-family house owners who want to generate, store and use their own energy. They are suitable wherever a lot of energy is produced and average power is required.
The salt-based battery storage has an energy density similar to that of a lithium-ion battery and has a service life of at least 15 years. In addition, the salt battery is maintenance-free and 100 percent recyclable. The robust salt battery storage system can neither burn nor explode and also runs in extreme temperatures between -20 degrees and 60 degrees Celsius.
According to a press release, 32 percent of the table salt-based battery is made up of normal table salt, which comes from Swiss salt pans. This ensures short transport routes. In addition, it contains iron, nickel and ceramics.
All of these advantages come at a price: A salt battery costs around a third more than a conventional battery. “Nonetheless, we are feeling the growing need for ecology and sustainability. We are sure that more and more customers will consider this storage solution, ”said Patrick Seiger from the AEW myHome team in the press release.