Empty batteries from Nissan EVs’ Leaf will provide power for some 90,000 residents in the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Morocco. The Japanese automaker is teaming up with European energy company Enel for the groundbreaking project.
The project was already announced two years ago, but is now being finally launched. It fits into Nissan’s ‘Ambition 2030’ strategy for sustainable mobility by extending battery life through reuse.
Second Life
Melilla, situated on the northern coast of the Rif region, is a Spanish exclave and free port. Because of that location near the Strait of Gibraltar, the city is cut off from both the Spanish and Moroccan electricity grids. The town also has only one thermal power plant to supply electricity to its approximately 90,000 inhabitants.
To address potential power outages caused by overloads, Nissan and Enel, specifically Enel Group’s Spanish subsidiary, Endesa, have now developed an emergency system, Second Life. That uses used batteries from Nissan Leafs to provide power while the thermal power plant is restarted.
78 Leaf batteries
A total of 48 used and 30 new Nissan Leaf batteries will be used for it. These are assembled into an extensive stationary storage system, or giant battery of sorts.
As a result, power can be supplied to the enclave’s power grid for about 15 minutes, allowing the system to recover and restore power. Second Life can also store 4 MW of power, relieving the central power plant during peak hours and providing up to 1.7 MWh of energy if the power plant is disconnected from the system.
Also in Rome and Amsterdam, Leaf battery storage
It is not only in Melilla that the Leaf batteries are getting a second life. Also at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, the batteries are being used to store energy during off-peak hours and provide energy during peak demand, as well as at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam where Leaf battery packs, combined with solar power, give the system 2.8 MWh of energy during events, helping to balance the grid.
Nissan’s Second Life batteries are also being used on Japan’s railroads, ensuring the system remains operational in the event of an overload, such as a blizzard strike.
The Nissan Leaf, introduced to the market in 2010, was one of the first affordable electric vehicles to gain popularity worldwide. To date, more than 650,000 units of the Leaf have been sold, accounting for more than 65% of Nissan’s total EV sales. Most of the cars were sold in Europe, followed by the US and Japan.
