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Issue Six 2018
Successful Meeting held in Nanjing, China, February 2018
Dr Alistair Davidson and Dr Boris Monahov held a successful series of meetings in China earlier this year with ALABC members, and met a range of potential new members.
Here, Dr Davidson reflects on his visit and the speed of change in China:
“China’s thirst for new sources of clean energy to feed its vast industrial heartlands acted as the backdrop for many of our discussions.
This is a country on a mission to innovate and grow which in turn is driving demand for electricity from renewable sources, to help power its belt and road initiative. ALABC members are involved in many projects which are both profitable and a commercial success.
The revolution in clean energy is growing exponentially and there is a real interest and excitement among lead battery manufacturers leading to a renaissance for advanced lead batteries in the country.
Companies we visited in China see an enormous potential market for energy storage using reliable, safe and affordable technology to store energy generated by solar and wind farms.
It is increasingly clear, however, that many market assessments are not yet incorporating this shift or appreciating the scale of the market opportunity in the country, and in advanced lead battery technology.
 One of the businesses I visited at the forefront of this is Narada, an ALABC member based in Hangzou province, one of China’s leading battery manufacturers. I toured their futuristic control room which maps the 50 or so existing energy storage facilities they manage in China, all using advanced lead carbon battery systems. There are at least 40 more planned and the company is making inroads in north America and in Europe, including a project already up and running in Berlin. Their systems help regulate peak demand in China’s national grid, as well as providing distinct micro-grid applications."
ALABC China Conference - Roadmap Under Development
 The ALABC conference, which was hosted by China Shoto in Nanjing, was an opportunity for members to discuss market opportunities and the ALABC roadmap, which is currently being developed.
During the event ALABC members presented on a range of energy storage projects underway in applications such as frequency regulation, micro-grids, peak smoothing and shifting. It is clear that this application provides a very exciting opportunity for lead batteries.
Pictured L-R: Dr Alistair Davidson, ALABC, Dr Baofeng Yang, Vice President, China Shoto, Dr Boris Monahov, ALABC and Dr David Rand, CSIRO
ALABC Energy Storage Workshop, Boston, April 17
ALABC will be holding a workshop from 12pm-5pm on 17 April at the Boston Sheraton. The aim of this workshop is to highlight the strengths of lead batteries for energy storage systems, and will involve presentations of current energy storage projects from ALABC members Crown, Ecoult, Trojan and NorthStar. For more information on this event, or to register to attend, please contact Maura McDermott.
Digatron Joins ALABC
 The international manufacturer Digatron Power Electronics is the latest company to join ALABC, the global advanced lead battery research and innovation hub. Digatron, which manufactures and develops computer controlled test and formation equipment for a wide range of batteries, is located in Germany, the US, China and India.
This continues the excellent member sign up for the current program, with the membership now comprising over 90 members globally.
Pictured L-R: Dr Alistair Davidson, ALABC, Dr Andy Bush, ILA, Kevin Campbell, CEO Digatron, and Dr Boris Monahov, ALABC
ALABC to Speak at Lloyds of London on 2 May 2018
As part of ALABC technical communications program, we have been aiming to speak to a range of audiences about the benefits of lead batteries and safety issues with other technologies. As part of this program, ALABC will speak to the insurance industry at Lloyds of London on 2 May. This presentation will highlight the safety and reliability benefits of lead batteries, and discuss potential issues with other energy storage technologies. A link to the presentation will be on the ALABC webpage after the meeting.
ALABC General Assembly Meeting, Tucson, Arizona, 2 May 2018
The 2018 US General Assembly meeting will be held from 9am-12pm on Wednesday 2 May at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson, Arizona. This meeting will update members on the work of the current program and will also discuss planning for the work of the consortium past 2019. Please contact Anita Wright if you wish to attend the meeting.
A technical communications meeting will be held on the 1 May from 2.30pm-4pm. This meeting will focus on discussing current communications work and the work of ALABC communicating and marketing lead batteries for utility and renewable energy storage applications.
ALABC Workshop, Alcála de Henares, Spain, 15-17 May 2018
 Three days of ALABC Technical Meetings have been scheduled for 15-17 May 2018 in Alcalá de Henares, Spain – a short drive from Madrid’s international airport. The first day will be a follow up to the meeting organized by Ford Motor Company’s Technical Expert Battery & Energy Storage Technology, Eckard Karden, in January 2017. This year’s meeting, sponsored by ALABC, will focus on High-Temperature Durability Tests for Advanced Lead–Acid 12-V Batteries.
Days two and three will be ALABC technical meetings, and will involve a review of the on-going European ALABC projects, and plans for 2019 onwards. Members should contact Maura McDermott if they wish to register for these meetings.
Registration now open for the 16th European Lead Battery Conference in September
 The 16th European Lead Battery Conference and Exhibition - taking place in Vienna, Austria, September 4–7 2018 - is the most significant gathering of lead battery experts worldwide, and includes an extensive technical programme of workshops and interactive sessions.
For more information about the event and to secure your place, register now by clicking here.
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