Technical feasibility and economics of repurposed electric vehicles batteries for power peak shaving

Repurposing the discarded Electric Vehicles’ (EVs) batteries as a means of extending the lifespan of these batteries has been seen as a potential to create a new stream of revenue for individuals or businesses ranging from the battery-repurposing company to the recycler of batteries. The loss of performance and a reduced driving range in EVs usually happens within five to eight years of EVs' usage, depending on the driving style and frequency. With about 70 – 80% of remaining capacity, these repurposed discarded EVs batteries, commonly known as Second-Life Batteries (SLB), still have much life that could be used in less-demanding second-life applications such as stationary Energy Storage Systems (ESS). Considering that the global growth of EVs' usage has been rising, the availability of SLB will soon be alarming. However, the recycling rate of the discarded EVs' batteries is not proportional to the penetration of EVs on the road. Hence, studying the potential applications for SLB is equally vital to the production of EVs as a green solution. The main contribution of this paper will be to review SLB that could be used as an ESS for various second-life applications with particular emphasis on power peak shaving for Commercial and Industrial (C&I) consumers. As the weather conditions prevailing in different countries affect the performance of SLB, it was realised that the study on the performance of SLB for peak power shaving application has yet to be done in tropical climates countries, specifically in South East Asia. In this paper, several research works are reviewed to understand the state-of-the-art related to SLB. Some of the demonstration projects related to SLB, such as the studies done in many countries, batteries type, and scope of the study, have been summarised. Furthermore, the principle of power peak shaving, state-of-the-art related to power peak shaving strategies, and its pro-and-con are discussed thoroughly. The economic impact and market potential of SLB as an ESS for power peak shaving applications are critically reviewed. Interestingly, it was found that the cost of a first-life battery is about 70% of the total ESS cost; adopting SLB not only addresses the environmental concern but also further reduces the total cost of an ESS. Nevertheless, there are some existing challenges for SLB and safety concerns regarding SLB which have been further discussed in the paper