The EU Horizon project ‘2LIPP – Second Life for Power Plants’ turns existing power plants green with molten salt storage, used car batteries and a high-tech flywheel. Now, the project is about to take the next steps as the technologies will be arriving on-site.

The 2LIPP project aims to demonstrate a scalable hybrid storage system designed to support combined heat and power plants (CHP) transitioning from fossil-based operations to key providers of grid stability and security of supply in a renewable grid.

Since the partners in 2LIPP embarked on their journey a year ago, they have been working on preparing the site, collecting data and developing the essential technologies that will be applied. The project will demonstrate how three technologies can be combined in the solution: A flywheel provided by QuinteQ Energy, recycled lithium-ion batteries provided by PLS Energy Systems and molten salt storage provided by HYME Energy.

At the beginning of the new year, the battery will be the first to arrive on-site at Bornholms Energi & Forsyning in Rønne on the Danish island of Bornholm followed by the flywheel and finally, the molten salt storage.

“We are excited to see the project take shape as we hope, that by reusing existing power plant infrastructure, together with the competence of the power plant operators, we can extend the life of older CHP plants while maintaining their key role in security of supply as a back-up to solar and wind. 2024 will be an interesting year for the project. We will have the first technologies, the second life batteries, and the flywheel, physically on our site and can start testing and demonstrating the 2LiPP concept in practice,” Marjo Lahtimo, Project Manager at Bornholms Energi & Forsyning, says.  

2LIPP will provide valuable insights on possible repurposing pathways for CHP plants in Europe and worldwide.