Basque gigafactory can unlock the holy grail of energy storage says research boss
Jonathan Spencer Jones
Posted on: 26 April 2022
Europe’s first battery gigafactory is a huge challenge and opportunity, says Basque energy storage research institute head Nuria Gisbert.
Basquevolt, Europe’s first solid state battery gigafactory, is a huge challenge yet an even bigger opportunity, says Basque energy storage research institute head Nuria Gisbert.
Gisbert, Director General of CIC EnergiGUNE, which specialises in research in materials and systems for thermal and electrochemical energy storage, said that the gigafactory – a spin-off from CIC EnergiGUNE – is an outcome of a more than ten-year strategy in the Basque region of Spain to reinforce the whole battery value chain “from materials to recycling”.
Speaking during Enlit's ‘On the road’ event in Bilbao, Gisbert said that the battery ecosystem in the Basque region is very much a replica of the broader European ecosystem although on a smaller scale.
“Historically, there has been massive investment in companies that manufacture modules and battery packs and that apply energy storage into mainly different stationary storage applications.
“The outcomes we are watching already [with the] gigafactory, which is going to be the first in Europe that is going to fabricate solid state batteries. This is a huge challenge for the whole sector because they are the holy grail of the next generation of batteries.”
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Commenting on the broader challenges in Europe for battery storage, Gisbert highlighted three as key ones – the technology learning curve, which is lagging Asia, the huge investment demands and the manpower requirements.
“We need many jobs to build complete value chains for batteries and that is going to be a major challenge.”
But she also views this as an opportunity with the diversity of skills required, from materials to production to applications and research and development.
“Many skills will be required and there will be other value chains that will have a decrease in employment and we will have to transform those people and reskill them for the battery ecosystem.”
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Turning to the development of battery value chains in Europe, Gisbert noted that the region had to start from scratch and strengths she highlights include power electronics but there is the need to manufacture cells and materials.
“So we need to reinforce the whole value chain with a special focus in materials development and also in recycling.”
Commenting on what is exciting her, Gisbert mentions heat electrification and improving energy efficiency as energy storage opportunities.
“But if I should highlight something I would say for me it is the gigafactory. It’s a major challenge and in some sense, I think we are making history.”
