The project "Application of second life batteries for energy storage in renewable energy plants - Bess-2L", funded under the Investment Programme for Growth and Employment 2014/20 ERDF of the Valle d'Aosta region,  aims to test the possibility of reusing second life batteries for energy storage in a stationary environment.

The penetration of Renewable Non-programmable Energy Sources (RNPES) needs to associate storage systems to ensure the stability of the distribution network and enable generation and demand to be aligned.

As part of the project, it is planned to connect an electrochemical storage system of 1 MWh to a flowing hydroelectric power plant of CVA, which can simulate the behaviour of other RNPES plants, on which it would be more complex to make a small pilot. The system will consist of 500 kWh of new batteries and 500 kWh of second life batteries, from automotive sector, with residual capacity reduced by 20%.

The project will allow:

• to study how to regulate energy flows in the presence of electrochemical accumulations;
• to understand how to use second life batteries in RNPES systems;
• to identify the charge and discharge profiles and monitor the mechanical status of the entire production plant with predictive maintenance techniques;
• to implement the communication, management, and control system for this type of application and then to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility and replicability on other plants.