Smart Building & Mobility – Nutzung von E-Auto-Batterien als Energiespeicher für PV-Anlagen

The global climate change and the continually growing world population require a timely re-thinking concerning how we use our resources. The switch from fossil to renewable energy sources and the steady increase of energy efficiency in all sectors are essential parts of that process. By developing innovative and sustainable mobility concepts, the automotive industry could make an important contribution to reducing global CO2 emissions. Unfortunately, the increasing number of electrically powered vehicles may cause new ecological difficulties due to the current lack of recyclability of batteries. The use of second-life electric car batteries as energy storage for photovoltaic systems could significantly extend their service life and thus contribute to an improved ecological balance of buildings and vehicles. Within the framework of an interdisciplinary project, students from the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences Campus Wels conducted research on an exemplary optimization of a single-family house pho-tovoltaic system. On the basis of extensive research on the subject of electromobility, photo-voltaics and battery storage systems, the technical, ecological and economic feasibility of an electricity storage system consisting of second-life car batteries was examined. It has been shown, that these systems are associated with considerable difficulties particularly with regard to the availability of batteries, safety and warranty.