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Porsche’s Leipzig plant now features a new energy storage system created from used Taycan batteries, showcasing the “Second Life” concept. This innovative project repurposes high-voltage batteries from electric vehicles to provide a sustainable power solution.
Key Highlights:
- Size: The storage system is almost as large as two basketball courts.
- Capacity: Consists of 4,400 battery modules.
- Energy: Provides 5 megawatts of power and 10 megawatt-hours of energy.
- Initiative: Developed by Porsche’s Environmental and Energy Management unit.
- Impact: Promotes a circular economy and intelligent energy supply for the automotive plant.
Porsche’s “Second Life” concept demonstrates how used high-voltage batteries from electric vehicles can be effectively reused to conserve resources. The project originated within Porsche’s Environmental and Energy Management unit, highlighting the company’s commitment to sustainable practices.
Smart Energy Supply and Circular Economy
The project offers significant insights into intelligent energy supply for automotive plants and supports the development of an adaptable power grid. Alwin Schmid, Head of Electrical Engineering at Porsche, explains, “Of course, this is about environmental aspects and the core issue of the energy supply. But it was also important to us to take a pioneering role with the storage system.”
Schmid initiated the project, which was based on a feasibility study in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. He notes that the project combines multiple goals, including peak load capping, optimization of self-consumption, and participation in the energy market. This versatility makes the Porsche pilot project unique in industrial energy storage.
Implementation and Sustainability
Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics at Porsche AG, states, “The project exemplifies how we can use resources sustainably and combine this commitment with business efficiency.” Jonathan Dietrich, overall project manager for battery storage, adds, “We wanted to create electricity storage capacities for the Leipzig plant to make the site even more economical and to increase its degree of self-sufficiency. So it was only logical to use batteries from Taycan preseries vehicles instead of recycling them.”
Dietrich emphasizes that the project aims to equip other Porsche locations with similar systems in the future while providing a second useful deployment for test car batteries before final recycling.
Technical Specifications
The stationary battery storage system’s total capacity is 5 megawatts, with an energy content of 10 megawatt-hours. It can operate at up to 20 percent overload for short periods and is made up of 4,400 individual battery modules divided into four containers. These modules were installed without technical changes from their use in test vehicles.
Energy Transition and Market Integration
The electricity for the storage system is partly generated by the plant’s solar systems with a peak output of 9.4 megawatts. The system helps reduce peak loads, a crucial feature in the era of higher electricity demands from electromobility and other electrical consumers. Additionally, the storage system will be integrated into the balancing energy market, acting as a grid stabilizer.
Carbon-Neutral Production
Since 2021, Porsche‘s production at its sites in Zuffenhausen, Leipzig, and Weissach has been carbon-neutral, using only renewable energy sources. The Leipzig site, for instance, receives energy from green electricity and biomethane and district heating from biomass.
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