The facility features a state-of-the-art 2 MW / 1 MWh lithium titanate battery system. In that respect, this system is one of the first truly independent (ie. Additionally, it includes a 100 kW second-life electric vehicle (EV) battery platform that facilitates research into reuse, repurposing, and circular-economy models. This two-prong approach is designed to not only address energy storage demands but lead to more sustainable battery technologies.
She hopes that future studies consider real-world conditions, which she believes are crucial to understanding how a battery will behave. By operating storage assets directly on the live grid, Sheffield’s facility can respond to actual market signals, providing invaluable insights into the dynamics of energy storage.
Advancements in Battery Energy Storage Technology
All of this research, as energy storage systems professor Dan Gladwin would tell you, is entirely focused on making grid-connected energy storage systems more performant and reliable. He has developed revolutionary techniques that give true real-time estimates of SOC, SOH and SOP. What’s more, these approaches perform superbly, even under difficult conditions such as fast-moving power transitions and uneven usage patterns.
Sheffield’s research gives us important insights into how imbalance speeds degradation at the edges SOC extremes. Additionally, it clarifies the role of thermal gradients as a cause of non-uniform ageing and the influence of current distribution on long term performance drift. These types of discoveries are important to extend the lifespan and overall efficiency of batteries.
“The ability to test at scale, under real operational conditions, is what gives us insights that simulation alone cannot provide.” – Professor Dan Gladwin
The facility operates on an 11 kV, 4 MW substation connection. This arrangement provides the electrical and operational fidelity necessary for high fidelity and operationally relevant diagnostics. Over nearly a decade, it has served as a vital platform for testing market participation strategies and validating performance under real operational constraints.
Bridging Research and Real-World Application
Professor Gladwin’s vision stretches beyond academic scholarship. He doesn’t stop there—he aims to translate these controlled lab studies into the everyday grid challenges of real-world applications. He works with a range of industry partners to make sure that Sheffield’s research has real-world impact and relevance.
“It is a two-way relationship; we bring the analytical and research tools, industry brings the operational context and scale,” Professor Gladwin states, underscoring the collaborative nature of this initiative.
Another notable collaboration includes MOPO, a startup focused on fast-tracking the deployment of pay-per-swap lithium-ion battery packs. Their mission has a particular focus on low-income communities throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Now, Professor Gladwin and his team are applying that knowledge and experience to develop battery-swap packs that are clean, safe, and cost-effective. Their goal is to bring these smarter, cleaner solutions to communities that currently rely on old petrol and diesel generators.
“By applying our know-how, we can make these battery-swap packs clean, safe, and significantly more affordable than petrol and diesel generators for the communities that rely on them,” he adds.
This method takes a direct shot at upcoming challenges for energy storage. It furthers social equity by providing clean energy solutions to under-resourced communities.
The Future of Energy Storage Research
The University of Sheffield is determined to stay at the cutting edge of the development of new innovative storage technologies. The university is dedicated to advancing a spirit of collaborative research that brings together industry stakeholders with other academic institutions. This collaborative spirit not only improves their research capabilities, but helps them stay in lockstep with industry needs.
Professor Gladwin’s team has enhanced lifetime/degradation modeling by bringing actual behavior of the grid directly into their models’ frameworks. Combining the electrochemical and electrochemical-thermal models enhances their precision in long-term forecasting battery performance. This is enormously important for manufacturers and consumers alike.
“A model is only as good as the data and conditions that shape it. To predict lifetime with confidence, we need laboratory measurements, full-scale testing, and validation under real-world operating conditions working together,” he explains.
Their continuous pursuit of research through rigorous study finds great wisdom. These findings uncover effects that predominate behavior at the megawatt scale even if they can’t be seen under lab conditions.
“You only understand how storage behaves when you expose it to the conditions it actually sees on the grid,” states Professor Gladwin.