CASE STUDIES
Exploring the Potential for a Gigafactory in Scotland
HSSMI were commissioned by Scottish Enterprise to explore the utilities and water requirements for a potential gigafactory in Scotland.
WHO WAS THE CUSTOMER?
Scottish Enterprise (SE) is Scotland’s national economic development agency. They work to transform the Scottish economy by helping businesses innovate and scale. Their goal is to create a more productive, resilient and competitive economy for Scotland. To achieve this, they work to drive business innovation, build international competitiveness and encourage more investment in companies and infrastructure.
WHAT WAS THE BRIEF?
The SE utility study aim was to help SE assess energy and water requirements of a Gigafactory and analyse the potential green energy solutions to support operations. This included solar, wind, Li-ion energy storage and Green Hydrogen energy storage.
The study also supported SE on possible Gigafactory locations based on the data generated throughout the project.
WHY WERE HSSMI BROUGHT IN?
HSSMI has led and supported numerous Gigafactory projects which have addressed
the challenges associated with site selection and explored how to resolve them. HSSMI have extensive experience in Gigafactory energy requirements and have created a model which assesses aspects such as: energy requirements of Process equipment, Test equipment, Dry Room, Ancillary and Utility.
HSSMI fully understand the importance and need to assess energy and water requirements of a Gigafactory in order to progress an analysis of potential green energy solutions to support operations. The team also possesses an expansive network of key organisations involved in the setup of Gigafactories in the UK.
WHAT DID HSSMI DO TO DELIVER THE RESULTS?
For the delivery of the project HSSMI took a phased approach:
Step 1: The first task was to carry out an assessment to provide a breakdown of energy requirements and to develop a model of Total Power Consumption.
Step 2: After determining total power consumption, the second task analysed the potential for various off-grid energy production opportunities to give the facility a green energy solution.
Step 3: The assessment of water use across the process and the potential for use of different forms of water input, reuse and recovery of water in the plant was the next task.
Step 4: A High-Level assessment on the value of such solutions to potential Gigafactory operators quantitatively (cost savings) and qualitatively (net zero ambitions) was developed.
Step 5: A presentation meeting was arranged. HSSMI presented all the results in a presentation. Also, a written report was delivered to SE.
WHAT WERE THE OUTPUTS?
The outputs of the project were as follows:
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- Total energy requirements for a 10 GWh facility.
- Sensitivity study to loss of power.
- Range of scenarios identified for the use of renewable energies.
- Practical Models of Various Off-Grid Solutions and a calculator showing results for different green energy production scenarios.
- Waste water recovery and re-use feasibility and the business case for the recovery systems.
WHAT IMPACT DID THIS MAKE?
The main impact of project was to provide analysis to SE to inform discussions about site suitability and the approach to site specific green energy strategies. The generation of a model for energy and water requirements of a 10 GWh facility, and the assessment of potential green energy solutions to support operations was used to refine understanding the merits of potential sites for such a facility in Scotland. The analysis of requirements that HSSMI developed also supports consideration of how a phased or modular approach could be progressed which may suit some stakeholders due to the high capital expenditure required for Gigafactories.
ENERGY BREAKDOWN WITHIN A GIGAFACTORY:
Gigafactories are energy intensive facilities with roughly 6 megawatts of power required per gigawatt- hour of annual cell production. The power can be roughly broken down in to thirds – electrode manufacture, cell assembly and formation, aging and testing. The high energy usage is associated with drying processes, humidity control and charging and aging infrastructure.
The inclusion of new and innovative production technologies are critical to reduce operation costs and emissions enabling more competitive cell production.
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