How old EV batteries could transform Europe’s struggling energy grid

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Europe could turn retired EV batteries into a major source of grid storage, helping absorb surplus solar and wind power instead of curtailing it
• Most batteries are retired with 70–80% of their original capacity, potentially giving them decades of additional use in homes, businesses and grid infrastructur

🔭 The context: Europe's ageing grid is struggling to connect rapidly growing renewable generation
• In 2024, the EU curtailed 10 TWh of renewable electricity, worth an estimated €4.3 billion, while 375 GW of clean-energy projects and 455 GW of battery-storage projects were reportedly stuck in grid queues
• Meanwhile, EV sales have expanded rapidly, creating a much larger future pool of batteries for second-life applications

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Using batteries for a second life could reduce renewable-energy waste while delaying the need for new storage capacity and extracting more value from materials already produced
• It could also reduce battery waste, although recycling remains necessary to recover critical minerals once batteries can no longer be reused

⏭️ What’s next: Europe would need more second-life battery infrastructure, safety standards and efficient recycling systems as millions of EV batteries reach retirement
• Existing projects, including a 12 MWh California facility using retired Honda batteries, are already demonstrating the concept

💬 One quote: “Old EV batteries really are a gold mine,” said Adrian Hiel of the Electrification Alliance.

📈 One stat: 10 TWh — the amount of renewable electricity curtailed across the EU in 2024, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of around three million homes

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