Quantifying environmental benefits of used batteries coming from electric vehicles as stationary energy storage systems

Based on the "Energy Perspectives 2050" scenarios published by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), used lithium-ion batteries coming from electric vehicles (EV) are being researched for their future potential to be implemented as stationary energy storage in buildings for. With the help of three investigation scenarios the environmental benefits for the years 2035 and 2050 are evaluated. Calculations are carried out on how much conventional battery storage capacity may be substituted by a certain amount of reusable 2nd-Life batteries. The substitution potential is analyzed with selected category indicators such as the global warming potential (GWP) and the cumulative energy demand (CED). It is found that between 760 and 1170 MWh conventional energy storage may be substituted by 2nd-Life by 2050. Thus, the global warming potential may be reduced by between 11,000 to 16,000 t CO2 eq. per year, and the cumulative energy demand between 207,000 to 305,000 GJ. Results show that utilising 2nd-Life batteries in stationary systems can contribute significantly to reducing the environmental impact of batteries.