Braga plays host to a revolutionary battery project

‘Baterias 2030’ will seek to develop the energy storage of the future

A common problem with energy derived from renewable sources is that its production is intermittent. This can create issues with regular supply and planning in consumption, especially for energy communities that are trying to combine autonomy and sustainability.

The solution, according to a consortium of Portuguese companies, academia and researchers, is batteries. Batteries which will form part of the sustainable energy production circle in buildings and ensure storage for later needs. Such tools may not yet exist, but their development is the goal of the ‘Baterias 2030’ project, officially presented on 30 July and set to take place in the city of Braga.

Making sustainable energy communities truly decarbonized

The project counts on the collaboration of the Municipality of Braga in the implementation of the living laboratory for decarbonization in the generation of an innovation space, which will be the most visible phase of the initiative. The building will feature 15 different technologies for energy production, storage and management, including state-of-the-art photovoltaic façades, different types of batteries, as well as innovative systems for energy production from hydrogen. Technologies that are not yet commercialized will be tested in life-like settings.

This, however, will be the fifth stage of the initiative that has attracted 8.3 million euros of investment. The first four stages will focus on the technical and scientific domains and will count with concrete design-develop-validate objectives for:

• Innovative technological solutions in energy storage,
• Systems, tools and processes that enhance (lithium-ion) batteries life cycle,
• Innovative solutions of local and decentralized electrical production based on renewable sources,
• Innovative solutions for monitoring, controlling and managing storage systems for energy communities.

The sixth phase will be concerned with the dissemination of the innovations born out of the project.

‘Baterias 2030’ is a strategic initiative, which counts with great attention and support from the Portuguese government, as it will be a showcase of local ingenuity and contribution towards the larger European goals for climate neutrality. It is set to last for two years.