Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian and critical materials and energy technology company Redwood Materials plan to deploy battery energy storage at the automaker's factory in Normal, Illinois.
Using more than 100 second-life Rivian battery packs, the companies expect the solution to initially provide 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) of dispatchable energy to reduce cost and grid load during peak demand periods. Redwood will integrate the battery packs into its energy system, which will allow Rivian to use the stored energy at its Normal plant.
"Electricity demand is accelerating faster than the grid can expand, posing a constraint on industrial growth," Redwood Materials Founder and CEO JB Straubel said. "At the same time, the massive amount of domestic battery assets already in the U.S. market represents a strategic energy resource. Our partnership with Rivian shows how EV battery packs can be turned into dispatchable energy resources, bringing new capacity online quickly, supporting critical manufacturing and reducing strain on the grid without waiting years for new infrastructure."
Rivian noted the value of EV batteries, which can outlive the vehicle itself and remain healthy after its retirement. Meanwhile, stationary energy storage technologies play a role in reducing cost and increasing stability both for the customer and the grid at large.
For example, during periods of peak demand like heat waves, Rivian can instantly deploy energy stored in its second-life batteries to offset increased strain on the grid. This avoids the need to purchase more expensive electricity and additional load on the power system.
"By transitioning these packs into stationary assets before recycling them, we can extend their useful life, decrease reliance on imported energy storage and defer billions of dollars in costly infrastructure upgrades," Rivian stated.
