4 major considerations for building a lithium-ion battery factory

　　Today's battery technology has evolved to the point that it can drive an electric vehicle (EV) for nearly 500 miles (804.672 kilometers) on a single charge. At the same time, charging networks in Europe and the United States are continuing to grow.

　　The industry’s technology and customer acceptance are far superior than a few years ago, and now it has reached a critical turning point, which has stimulated the substantial growth of electric vehicles worldwide. Traditional manufacturers that have been in business for many years have accepted the reality and decided to convert their entire fleet to electric drive vehicles.

　　All this means that we must manufacture a large number of batteries, and the United States is planning to build a large number of battery plants. In many respects, these manufacturing plants are similar to other large manufacturing plants. However, large battery manufacturing plants have unique design and construction considerations, which can be summarized into four major considerations.

　　Challenge 1: Build and maintain an ultra-low humidity environment

　　In the battery manufacturing process, uncontrolled humidity can cause problems, resulting in reduced product life, performance degradation, and potential thermal runaway (for example, fire).

　　Lithium-ion battery manufacturing requires the most stringent humidity control. This means that the humidity cannot exceed 1%, which of course is very challenging.

　　In order to solve the moisture problem, after choosing the right building material, it must be considered to be moisture-proof in a dry space, for example, all sides, top, and bottom are sealed in a complete shell. Once the seal is complete, the biggest source of moisture is people. Each breath will release moisture in the surrounding environment. When the relative humidity is less than 1%, moisture will penetrate through the skin.

　　This requires professional dehumidification equipment, a professional team and advanced analysis tools to assist.

　　Challenge 2: Hazard and fire protection requirements

　　Lithium batteries are dangerous, and creating a safe working environment is the key to construction.

　　Safety measures include specially designed fire protection systems, such as gas detection equipment to identify problems before thermal runaway occurs, in-rack sprinkler systems, and aiming water guns that rise in temperature before a fire occurs. These systems are combined with traditional security tools, such as firewalls that separate different hazardous classification areas.

　　Challenge 3: Contact with process equipment suppliers

　　Most of the process equipment installed in battery manufacturing equipment in the United States comes from China, South Korea, and Japan. This means communicating across language barriers and time barriers.

　　This is a huge challenge. Only equipped with ordinary translators cannot achieve good results, because translators cannot translate the correct meaning without understanding the nuances of technology. Therefore, it is essential that there is a person in the team who not only has technical experience, but also has language skills.

　　In addition, team members need to have enough patience and time to truly understand what the two parties are discussing.

　　Challenge 4: Electricity demand

　　The final challenge for large battery manufacturers is the need for very high-power power supplies. Because the battery manufacturing process requires charging and discharging of each unit cell in addition to general electricity usage. This may require a new dedicated substation. The new substation requires a long construction period.

　　Lithium-ion battery (LIB) has become the main energy storage solution in modern social life. Among them, lithium iron phosphate batteries are a perfect substitute for lead-acid batteries, and are the first choice for grid-connected peak shaving, off-grid energy storage, photovoltaic energy storage, UPS, data center and other industries.

　　Solar power generation system with lithium battery energy storage system is a very promising clean energy.