Connected Energy's story
Connected Energy (CE), based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, is one of the first UK companies outside the car industry to exploit the potential of electric vehicle batteries once their first life (typically 10-20 years) has expired. When replaced, these batteries still have about 70% of their capacity, which can be put to use by households, businesses, the public sector and even power companies to store energy, giving the batteries a second life with a comparatively low carbon impact, before eventual recycling.
The company offers energy storage solutions at two main levels. E-STOR, designed for use by commercial and public sector organisations, comes in a 20-foot container packed with 24 second-life Renault EV batteries, with a capacity of 360kWh, and able to deliver up to 300kW. Multiple units can be linked together, managed by CE's proprietary software, which communicates directly with all batteries to provide real time monitoring and control. These systems have passed exacting energy sector compliance and validation tests.
With its commercial E-STOR business now flourishing, CE is now looking to scale up to utility-sized M-STOR sites. CE acts as the facilitator, bringing together a range of partners – from battery suppliers, automotive companies, renewable energy generators, investors and landowners – all working together to deliver green energy storage and management at scale. Like its smaller sibling, M-STOR helps to overcome capacity issues such as demand peaks from energy intensive equipment, and generally optimising the use of low carbon energy use by manufacturing processes, heating and lighting of premises, and EV fleets.
Useful learnings from Connected Energy
One of the main benefits for CE's customers is to combine their battery storage with sustainable energy generation, usually solar panels and wind turbines, to store any surplus green energy generated on sunny and windy days. This 'free' energy can be used when needed later, particularly at night, or exported to the grid.
CE's own biggest challenge has been to stay quick on its feet, developing the business while paying close attention to the constantly changing strategies of the EV industry, the power supply companies, the energy storage companies and government policy and regulations.
Connected Energy's metrics
Number of car batteries that have been recycled.
Breadth and scale of E-STOR unit sales.
