New Sydney battery facility could transform industry

Global renewable energy storage company Gelion (founded in 2015 by Professor Thomas Maschmeyer as a spin-out from the University of Sydney) has commenced industrial production of its gel-based zinc bromide battery, with the launch of a manufacturing facility in Western Sydney capable of producing two megawatt hours of batteries annually.

Gelion’s non-lithium battery lasts for six to 12 hours, and will be critical, the company said, in replacing fossil fuel-produced energy on the grid by providing new storage options for a higher percentage of renewables. In the future, Gelion could scale its facilities to gigafactory level and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

Gelion partnered with Battery Energy at its lead-acid manufacturing site in Fairfield to accelerate speed to market, with the battery designed to fit standard lead acid racks, and its manufacturing line utilising 70% of existing lead-acid battery processes.

Scaling the Gelion manufacturing capacity will require many similar skills to those used in other legacy industrial processes, including coal-fired power stations, meaning Gelion could absorb, retrain and grow thousands of fossil fuel-reliant or otherwise diminishing jobs as Australia’s energy transition occurs. This marriage between established and new technology shows Australia could scale sovereign domestic manufacturing capacity extremely efficiently by leveraging existing processes and supply chains, the company said.

The global battery market is expected to reach $265 billion by 2026 but there are currently significant challenges with unsustainable, unreliable or risky global supply chains, including a dependence on finite rare-earth materials and a predicted global lithium shortage. Gelion’s gel-based zinc bromide battery has the potential to solve these issues by being more cost-effective, non-reliant on rare earths, sustainably produced, recyclable and safe in high temperatures, as well as providing long-duration storage with lower maintenance costs and being scalable on a predominantly Australian supply chain.

Tests performed on the first batch of Gelion batteries have shown their performance meets customer requirements, and the batteries will be supplied to the Acciona Energia solar plant in Narrava, Spain, to potentially become part of Acciona’s supplier portfolio as a renewable energy storage provider.

Gelion stated that the Acciona Energia deal was one of many in its pipeline, with the company in advanced discussions with multiple global customers in the energy, resources, mining, and oil and gas sectors for trials and offtakes. Gelion and Battery Energy are also experiencing significant interest from Australian customers and industry looking to decarbonise and improve energy security, the company said.

“We are delighted to be launching production of our breakthrough battery, proving it can be produced at scale with existing lead-acid battery manufacturing processes,” Hannah McCaughey, CEO of Gelion, said. “Our game-changing technology will now be deployed to Acciona to support its development of renewable battery systems. This milestone is a significant step forward in Gelion’s growth strategy and also strengthens our position in the rapidly expanding energy storage market.”

The new Western Sydney facility officially launched on 30 September 2022 at a ceremony attended by Chris Bowen, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and Ed Husic, Federal Minister for Industry and Science. Husic will play a key role in implementing Australia’s first National Battery Strategy.

Bowen said, “This is a great day for Gelion, starting the first industrial production line for their new Endure Battery, right here in Fairfield, the industrial heartland of Sydney. This is what Australian innovation is all about: cutting-edge technology and new manufacturing opportunities, which means more well-paying local jobs and upskilling in the workforce.”

“It’s fantastic to see Australian scientific know-how turned into battery manufacturing capability right here in Western Sydney,” Husic said. “Through the National Battery Strategy, the Albanese government wants to see the creation of a thriving energy storage industry supporting renewable technologies.”

Image caption: Chris Bowen and Ed Husic with Professor Thomas Maschmeyer and Gelion CEO Hannah McCaughey at the launch of the new facility. Image courtesy of Gelion.