STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: JULY 2024  – Zinc-ion battery cell technology innovator Enerpoly has acquired former competitor Nilar’s cutting-edge end-to-end battery production line and process development capabilities, further enhancing its industrial competencies and promoting European-led innovation. This news comes as Enerpoly prepares to break ground on the world’s first zinc-ion battery megafactory in 2024, and marks another significant step towards establishing Europe as a global clean energy storage powerhouse.

Leveraging enhanced pack assembly capabilities and the transformative advantages of dry electrode manufacturing, Stockholm-based Enerpoly will be able to accelerate its development and production of zinc-ion battery cell-modules and packs, while simultaneously lowering customer costs, carbon dioxide emissions, raw material use, and waste. Despite Nilar’s innovative manufacturing capabilities, its battery cell chemistry utilized expensive raw materials and thus suffered from high commodity prices. Enerpoly harnesses locally sourced, affordable materials, and will integrate Nilar’s state-of-the-art machinery to scale its zinc-ion production swiftly and affordably. Enerpoly has also carefully selected and hired engineering, process development, and operational staff who have led the development and integration of Nilar’s cutting-edge dry electrode manufacturing process.

Additionally, this fully localized production, utilizing equipment sourced from Europe, is not only insulated from potential supply chain instability, but also lays the foundation for deeper collaboration within the European battery ecosystem, with Enerpoly already engaging several utilities and BESS integrators for battery deployments across various applications.

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Enerpoly: Organizational Information and Key Hires for Scaling Production 

Building on its founding team’s battery chemistry research at Stockholm University, Enerpoly has developed patented battery cell technology to deliver affordable, sustainable and safe zinc-ion batteries. Starting work in 2024, Enerpoly will establish the world’s first megafactory for zinc-ion batteries. This plant will achieve a final capacity throughput of 100 MWh annually, and serve as a blueprint for future zinc-ion gigafactory production.

Enerpoly’s zinc-ion batteries are suitable for grid or large-scale storage, backup power, and safety-critical applications of energy storage including for maritime use, critical infrastructure and densely populated urban areas. To meet COP28 goals of tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030, energy storage needs to increase six-fold. Enerpoly leverages European equipment and utilizes abundant raw materials, including zinc and manganese, to establish a local supply chain and contribute to a more diversified and resilient European energy landscape.

As Enerpoly ambitiously scales to meet the European energy system’s growing demand for flexibility solutions, key senior hires continue to advance its production and commercial goals: Annika Werneman joins as Head of Production, bringing 20 years of experience, including setting up megafactory-scale battery cell production for Northvolt where she served as Head of Manufacturing; Emelie Tillegård, previously of Northvolt and with 11 years operational leadership experience at Ericsson, joins as Head of Industrialization; and Daniel Eklund, former Head of Procurement at KP Energy and Supply Chain Manager at ABB, joins as Purchasing Manager.

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The Significance of Dry Electrode Manufacturing Capabilities for Battery Development 

The utilization of dry electrode manufacturing, a frontier technology which derives from the conventional wet, slurry-based process, will enable Enerpoly’s proprietary zinc-ion technology to transition production from individual battery cells to battery cell-modules. This new focus and process simplify the integration of cells into battery packs, and make the overall assembly process more efficient.

Traditionally, within wet, slurry-based processes, the drying process for solvent evaporation is both time-consuming and energy-intensive. In contrast, dry electrode coating uses dry materials which eliminates the need for solvents. This allows thicker coating to be achieved and thus, higher energy efficiencies in comparison to the wet process. Additionally, the absence of solvent evaporation, collection, and recycling significantly reduces energy consumption, a primary operational expense, and leads to a reduction in waste generation and carbon impact. This will allow Enerpoly to equip its already cost-effective and sustainable energy storage solutions with more efficient power delivery both presently and in the future.

Enerpoly CEO Eloisa de Castro comments, “This acquisition is a landmark step signifying Enerpoly’s maturation from battery cell technology developer to industry-leading manufacturer. We continue to be uniquely poised to fulfil the increasing demand for clean energy storage on a global scale, reinforced by a 100% European supply chain. Our growing expertise in production process innovation, manufacturing operations excellence, and supply chain industrialization will be essential as we solidify our position as a zinc-ion technology pioneer and global leader in battery cell manufacturing.”

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About Enerpoly

Enerpoly is a Stockholm-based deep tech company using patented technology to develop and produce zinc-ion battery cells and packs. Enerpoly’s safe, sustainable, and affordable batteries enable the global transition to renewable energy. Co-founded in 2018 by Eloisa de Castro (CEO), Dr. Mylad Chamoun (CTO) and Dr. Samer Nameer (CSO), Enerpoly has raised €15.1M ($16.6M) to date.

Originally published on 15 July by Enerpoly.

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