Whether they’re small enough to power your cell phone or large enough to power a city, batteries have been commonplace for decades.
But what happens to them at the end of their lives isn’t quite so familiar.
At DTE, our battery storage systems use batteries that are designed to last for 20 years, providing stored power to customers to reduce strain on the grid. Even though these facilities are far from being at the end of their lives, we have plans to safely recycle the batteries they house once they are no longer in use.
Lithium-ion batteries can be recycled in a few different ways, separating the reusable metals from the housing, allowing all materials to be broken down and used again.
The batteries are either broken down with pyrometallurgy – this means using high temperatures to extract and purify the metals – or hydrometallurgy – dissolving solid materials to extract the valuable metals.
In DTE’s case, our batteries may be bought back by our original supplier at the end of their lives and recycled.
By taking care to sell back and recycle these large batteries, we ensure the safe reuse of the lithium, copper and other raw materials.
Thanks to those involved in the careful planning of the lifecycle of our battery systems, we can maximize the value they provide our customers and the environmental benefits they provide our customers.
Learn more about energy storage and DTE’s broader renewable energy portfolio at dteenergy.com/renew.