India developing Zn-ion battery technology for low-cost energy storage systems

India is in the process of developing indigenous Zn-ion battery technologies using new variant of zinc for low-cost grid-scale energy storage systems.

The project is being carried out by Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Another state-owned entity, Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) will develop new variants of zinc under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two.

Development of the new zinc material will help develop low-cost and super performing zinc-ion batteries, leading to commercialization of zinc-based batteries.

Low-cost driven zinc-ion batteries are acclaimed as India’s answer to expensive and imported lithium-ion batteries. Since zinc is commercially available in large quantities, zinc-ion batteries offer enormous potential for developing large-scale energy storage systems.

Zinc-based batteries are also safer due to material stability, performance and reliability across various temperature ranges, Also, with certain modifications to the electrode, electrolyte and interfaces, zinc-ion batteries can offer far superior performance compared to lithium-ion batteries. 

Commercialization of Zn-ion battery technology, however, is dependent on stabilizing the material’s performance. 

Currently, a JNCASR research team led by Prof Premkumar Senguttuvan is working to leverage Hindustan Zinc’s product innovation capabilities for developing new zinc alloys for use as anodes in Zn-ion batteries and electrolytes for their application in rechargeable batteries. 

The JNCASR team also plans to develop Zn-ion pouch batteries that can be scaled up for commercial applications.