The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria has a brand new battery testing lab. It was jointly realised by VITO/EnergyVille, which also provided training for the staff of the South African research institute.
South Africa has had serious issues with energy supply for years. Temporary shut-downs of the power grid in certain areas (load shedding) are an almost daily occurrence. As such, companies, as well as individuals, install solar panels on a large scale, combined with batteries for energy storage. The brand-new battery testing lab set up in Pretoria by VITO/EnergyVille, in collaboration with CSIR, was therefore very welcome. CSIR, more or less the South African counterpart to VITO/EnergyVille, can encourage the roll-out of high-quality energy storage with the new testing infrastructure and accumulated expertise.
The roll-out of the new battery testing lab, but also the training of staff, was part of a project that started in December 2020 and ended in November 2023. It came about as part of the Energy Storage Partnership (ESP), a comprehensive programme through which the World Bank is aiming to promote energy storage in so-called developing countries. But the project was also part of the Flemish international climate fund, in which South Africa is a partner country. Thanks to support from the Flemish Government, CSIR was able to set up the new battery testing lab to support local businesses from the battery value chain.
The battery testing lab has already had a lot of visitors. In April 2022, in the presence of Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between VITO and CSIR to enhance the collaboration in various fields, including energy, water, air quality, etc. As part of the state visit, King Philip of Belgium visited the new facility in March 2023. And in November 2023, the tenth World Bank ESP meeting was organised at CSIR in Pretoria, meaning a large international audience – with many local stakeholders in energy storage and the battery value chain in tow – got the chance to visit the new battery testing lab.
Load shedding
Energy storage is sorely needed in South Africa. Not only because variable (intermittent) energy sources, such as sun and wind, are increasingly being used. Also because the country has been struggling with so-called load shedding for years: insufficient generation capacity and a weak power grid mean the power is switched off almost every day somewhere in the country. ‘You can often be without power for hours, even though you do generally get warned as to what time this will happen several days in advance,’ explains Carlo Mol from VITO/EnergyVille, who has experienced the phenomenon himself on the ground. ‘This obviously has a huge impact on the economy and society. Businesses are obliged to arrange their own alternative sources and sometimes need to temporarily cease production, which has a huge economic impact. But load shedding also causes problems for people at home or on the street, for example in terms of safety because public lighting and traffic lights stop working.’
Those who can afford to therefore invest in local energy generation (mainly solar panels) and in batteries to store their own power that they generate. Mol: ‘This has meant that imports and sales of batteries have exploded in South Africa, both batteries for the home for powering solar panels on the roof, for example, and larger battery modules installed by businesses and the grid operator.’ But that means there is an urgent need for expertise in terms of energy storage, and for testing infrastructure for batteries. With its new battery testing lab, CSIR is now the benchmark in this domain in South Africa. Stakeholders from the entire battery value chain can contact them for questions on the performance and reliability of batteries, among other things.
The new testing facility is comparable to the VITO/EnergyVille battery testing lab in Genk, although quite a bit smaller. ‘But in essence, CSIR can now carry out pretty much the same tests as we can, for example performance or life span tests linked to a specific battery use,’ Mol continues. ‘And just like at VITO/EnergyVille, tests can be run at the CSIR lab on both individual battery cells and battery modules, as well as battery packs.’ In addition to a battery tester, the facility also features a climate room, to check the influence of temperature on battery performance.
Role of knowledge partner
Not only can ‘customers’ get in touch with CSIR. The company also offers its expertise in energy storage externally. For example, it is collaborating with the Cape Town city council to investigate how load shedding can be tackled at the local level there. In any case, South Africa has plans in the pipeline for the energy transition to more renewable sources, and just like VITO/EnergyVille in Flanders and Belgium, CSIR can play the role of knowledge partner there too.
According to Renesh Thakoordeen, project leader for energy storage at CSIR, the battery testing lab will play a major role in creating a more resilient energy system in South Africa. ‘It's a springboard for tackling the problem of intermittent energy supply. Many businesses and households use solar energy and batteries to secure their energy supply. But the quality of these systems needs to be guaranteed.’ Among other things, the lab will be helping to draw up standards for lithium-ion batteries in South Africa. In addition, South African battery developers or importers will be supported through the lab itself. ‘Now the testing lab is being run commercially, the South African (and African) battery market can grow because the testing gap, which was first identified in the World Bank's ESP programme, is being bridged.’
