End of Life Management

Planning and Executing a Decommissioning Project

Meeting the Challenges of Asset Retirement

Battery asset retirement works like a reverse supply chain, and getting it right is very challenging. A host of decisions must be made when the time comes for industrial batteries recycling or reuse.

Complicating the reality that various end-of-life tasks are necessarily executed by different parties, the battery reverse supply chain is characterized by fragmented and highly disorganized sets of service providers. This ecosystem and the related regulations often leave battery asset owners confused about the best solution for end-of-life industrial batteries.

Renewance has in-depth knowledge and extensive experience reusing and recycling multiple battery chemistries and form factors. We have executed a wide variety of battery recycling and reuse projects, including damaged batteries and cross-border shipments. Regardless of the type of battery used in your energy storage system or electric car fleet, all industrial batteries eventually reach their end of life, and decisions must be made regarding battery recycling or repurposing.

Decommissioning Is a Phased Process

Energy storage system (ESS) decommissioning projects involve several phases, each of which must be tightly planned and executed. As a result of providing turnkey energy storage system decommissioning services to many of the world’s largest energy storage companies, Renewance has the experience and expertise to handle your industrial battery end-of-life activities.

While each project has its idiosyncrasies, a typical project contains multiple phases:

Pre-Decommissioning

In this planning phase, activities include identifying qualified suppliers; complying with local, state and federal waste-handling requirements; obtaining required permits and certifications; conducting required training; disconnecting equipment from electrical sources; and recovering refrigerant from equipment.

Decommissioning and Removal.

Typical activities during this phase are determining if batteries can be reused or need to be recycled; reducing the system’s state of charge (SoC) as low as reasonably achievable; shutting down and disconnecting the system; deciding whether containers can be transported or if batteries will be removed on-site; removing loose components or obstructions; packaging of batteries; and removal and transport of containers.

Recycling or Reuse and Post Cleanup.

This phase generally includes the following activities: dismantling equipment; reusing or recycling batteries; attempting to reuse all other equipment, such as a power conversion system; recovering scrap metal content; and cleaning up the site after the removal.

Reverse Supply Chain Optimization

Our network of logistics and recycling partners enables Renewance to unburden you from the complex and onerous permitting, logistics, recycling and record retention project management activities, while delivering you the most cost-effective and responsible reuse and recycling solutions.

We always provide our customers with the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly options so that they can make an informed decision. We work with many large energy storage companies, which leads to better pricing and more extensive options for our customers. Our ability to virtually aggregate batteries through our Renewance Connect™ portal results in additional purchasing power.