The duration of this programme is one year.

The battery systems proposed today do not answer ideally all the technical, environmental and economic criteria requested by markets and legislations.

The partners of the ANZAS program notice that, for these applications, important R&D efforts are dedicated to lithium batteries, in the lesser level, to nickel-metal hydride batteries. But the high cost of raw materials used by these systems (cobalt for Li-ion, rare earths for NiMH), the restricted availability for some of their components (lithium carbonate), and the difficulty of their end of life recycling, create a strong appeal for a development policy of alternative systems.

Such a system exists: the nickel-zinc battery, which operates easily recyclable compounds, raw materials of which have sure, plentiful sources of supply, widely distributed on the globe. It became an economic and efficient system today. For industrial type batteries, the European full costs per kWh, any equal things besides, are approximately 300 € for NiZn, 390 € for NiCd, and 580 € for NiMH. For Li-ion batteries, whose production would answer the same basic hypotheses, they would be situated at more than 1.000 €. From a technical point of view, SCPS’ NiZn batteries were tested in multiple conditions of use, and by different battery manufacturers and users. These tests demonstrate both the ability for long term cycling, and for float charge.

For the partners, the concepts operated through the SCPS’ Technology constitute the solid and demonstrated base to make the NiZn system a product capable of answering the requirements of the stationary markets, the advantages of the NiZn battery (performances, cost, absence of heavy metals, safety, recycling) making even this system a choice solution.

Concerned stationary applications:

- storage for renewable energies
The photovoltaic or wind electric productions are intermittent, and generally not simultaneous with the consumers’ demand. The storage of the produced energy allows to manage this gap, and constitutes in certain cases a technological or economic necessity. The storage finds applications for the electrification of isolated sites, and for the stabilization of electrical networks.
- uninterruptible power supply is used for the electric supply to various equipment in case of supply breakdown by the network.
Backup batteries are supposed to be under permanent “floating” (in charge with constant voltage or under low constant current), and to be discharged only in case of exceptional breakdown of the network.
But the imperfect functioning of certain networks (deregulations, developing countries, consequences of natural disasters) induces more severe conditions of exploitation : weekly, even daily discharges in developing countries; batteries ageing is then provoked as much because of the cycling as because of the floating.

HELION conceives and supplies turnkey solutions for electric and thermal generators in medium and high power ranges, able to meet the needs of strong added value markets, such as the decentralized stationary energy, and onboard energy supplies. The main scientific and technical outcome expected by Hélion from the ANZAS program is a new demonstration of techno-economic feasibility of the field of hybrid electrification Renewable Energy – NiZn battery – Fuel cell.

SAFT, leader in the manufacture of nickel-cadmium batteries for industrial applications, developed large technological competences which could be useful in the NiZn system industrialization phase. SAFT is interested in the potentialities of the SCPS’ NiZn Technology, in particular the total absence of maintenance: it is not possible today to propose a new battery with maintenance.

The huge portable electronics markets (5 billions euros/year with 20% growth for telephones, computers, organizers, cameras,…) have required major innovations in the field of batteries.

After NiCd and NiMH batteries, Li-ion batteries dominate the market. Thanks to a high voltage, specific energies (gravimetric and volumetric) have been increased and consequently the autonomy of the electronic equipment.

The counter part of these high energy densities is the safety risk has it been shown during these last years with overheating of batteries, computers taking fire,…and numerous recalls of batteries.

The use of more stable anodic materials than lithium cobalt oxide makes lithium-ion batteries safer (without totally solving the safety problem) but reduce their specific energies.

A true alternative

The silver zinc battery is known for long (Volta discovered the primary silver battery), and became a commercial rechargeable battery thanks to the works made by André.
Silver zinc battery has high specific energies and power, but a limited cycle life.

Taking advantage of the mature technology of the zinc electrode used in its long cycle life nickel zinc battery, SCPS has introduced a new silver zinc battery which can be cycled more than 500 times. The US Army shows interest in this development work which has been granted by the DGA (French Ministery of Defense).

SCPS is now working on the next step which will be the optimization and adaptation of the battery to civilian markets, including portable electronics with the following key advantages :

- energy and power close to lithium-ion battery for a given volume,
- safety,
- low manufacturing cost with a complete recycling of metals at the end of life.

The article describes the activity of a special branch of the US Army which identify non-US new technologies which are of interest for areas relevant to the overall US Army mission.
SCPS‘ NiZn technology is at the fore.

Lieutenant-Colonel W. Collier Slade is at the head of International Technology Center-Atlantic. “He found a small French company, SCPS, which has developed a nickel-zinc battery that is more powerful, longer-lasting and more stable than any other comparable battery on the market. The U.S. Army is very interested, but this is a very small company that is reluctant to deal with us because it is scared of losing control of its intellectual property rights”, Slade says.

“Having the U.S. Army as a client can be a bit overwhelming”, Slade concedes.