Li-Ion Battery Storage Circularity For Africa By Africa for Low-Carbon E-Mobility E-Agriculture and Minigrids

Kampala, Uganda has the 17th worst air pollution in the world, with an abundance of motorcycles contributing with unregulated emissions. 75% of Ugandans are rural farmers, living off of subsistence farming with energy access rates below 10%. Meanwhile, the two-wheeled EV (2WEV) market is taking off in the region, poised to help reduce air pollution but introducing a looming e-waste problem caused when their lithium-ion batteries reach the end of their service life.

Taken separately, these are problems. But together they represent an opportunity to turn e-waste into e-resources, increase energy access and agricultural productivity, and boost the uptake of clean energy solutions. To this end, Soleil Power and STI4D are implementing a project to build high-quality 2WEV batteries designed for efficient repurposing into affordable and scalable 2nd-life products for energy access customers. We want to get ahead of the curve by enabling a circular battery value chain right from the start.

Li-Ion batteries have a long total life-span but they are removed from EV service once they are depleted to 80% of their original capacity. Thereafter, whilst they are no longer optimal for EV use, they still have very high potential value in stationary applications such as mini-grids and institutional ESS. To capture this value, STI4D and Soleil will also design affordable 2nd-life products that can be deployed off-grid or as backup-power.

Soleil will build on existing partnerships to test these innovative products. E-mobility company Zembo, building 2WEVs and battery swapping/charging infrastructure, sees high value in procuring their batteries domestically as well as having a partner to offtake them after they have completed their service. E-Ag partner Regenerators, who are working to increase smallholder productivity through the introduction of an electric tractor will also pilot the EV battery.

Soleil's experience shows that much of the cost associated with the repurposing of EV battery products depends on the complexity of disassembly, testing and rebuilding used battery-modules. The new designs will streamline and accelerate this process to reduce e-waste and facilitate circularity whilst increasing access to clean and affordable energy.

A better understanding of the battery circular economy in East Africa is critical to finding optimal ways to incentivize commercial investment, so STI4D and Soleil will also use the project as a case study on which to conduct a value-chain analysis, developing and collecting data on sustainable business models including for combining energy access systems with battery-charging as anchor loads.