Analysis of Battery Testing Protocols in the Transition from the Lab to the Field: A Test Case Using Advanced Zn-MnO2 Batteries in Off-Grid Solar Microgrids
Authors: Wittman Reed M , Lavrova Olga , Anwer Umer , Huang Jinchao , Cowles Gabriel , Augustine Sijo , Terry Derrick , Atcitty Stan , Guan Henry 
Published: February 2024

Understanding cycling performance of batteries under varying conditions is crucial for continued development of emerging chemistries. Currently much of this work is focused on cycling single cells in well-controlled lab experiments. There are few module cycling studies in the open literature. Studies of full-sized fielded systems are even rarer. As a result of this data gap, there is limited understanding of how single cell cycling can be used to predict performance of fielded systems prior to their deployment.

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) recently deployed an advanced Zn-MnO2 secondary battery energy storage system in an off-grid solar plus storage system. Using this deployment as a test case, we will detail how performance and degradation for batteries can vary between the lab and the field. We will also discuss ways that single cell and module lab cycling can be improved to better predict operation in fielded systems.

In preparation for this deployment, SNL conducted single cell cycling experiments in the lab to simulate operation in the field and determine the expected life of the systems. The first test program utilized elements of the IEC 61427-1 standard for photovoltaic off-grid application to simulate the temperature and predicted state of charge (SOC) range the cells will be cycled during field operation. The simulated field cycling targeted SOC ranges of 10 to 40% and 80-100% over 150 cycles with temperature varied between -4 and 35oC to match the ambient conditions in the field during each season. The second type of cycling test was a temperature dependence study to determine how temperature impacted cell degradation. Cells were cycled at C/10 at their full SOC range and at a single temperature until they reached 40% capacity retention. Both cycling studies predicted that low temperature operation would increase the rate of degradation.

The system was deployed in May of 2022, and since that time the SNL team has collected a significant amount of performance data to help analyze system level behaviors as compared to observations from cell level testing. These include battery interactions with the solar charge controller, limitations on power inverter settings, and variance between the average system level state of charge and the test protocol. Additionally, the team is analyzing conditions found in the field, with regards to ambient temperature, solar insolation and battery charging rates, and customer usage patterns for comparison with cell-level testing protocol.

Observations of the deployed system’s performance indicate there is a need for more nuanced testing protocols for lab testing that can better approximate field conditions. These may include dynamic temperature ranges that vary throughout a charge/discharge cycle, and solar charging assumptions that account for reduced insolation due to cloud cover. This can help further inform the development of charge control algorithms, system hardware and software that can help improve the overall performance of solar microgrid energy storage systems.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2023-02502A