Used EV batteries emerge as alternative power source for farms
Tangerine farms on Jeju Island are proving that used batteries from electric vehicles can be repurposed as alternative power sources for farms and play a key role during power outages, according to Jeju-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Friday.
Ten farms cultivating various citrus fruits in Seogwipo, the southern part of the island province, are now testing the functionality of the batteries, EcoESS (energy storage system), with 60 to 70 percent of their lifespan still intact. The batteries’ key function is to supply emergency power when weather events disrupt power services, like lightning storms or typhoons. The batteries automatically provide power to the farms as an uninterruptible power source (UPS).
The batteries, each with a 10-kilowatt-hour capacity, were originally built with a battery management system for the Kona Electric, a Hyundai electric vehicle (EV), but they can provide enough power for the farms to run ventilators for their greenhouses to maintain a stable temperature and lock their entrances. The batteries, before being put to the test, were approved for the purpose by Jeju Technopark, a state-run research and development center on the island that certifies used EV batteries.
“We use batteries with at least 60 percent of their lifespan remaining because below that, leaves us with too much graphite components inside,” Kim Seung-woo, a researcher at the island’s agricultural research and extension services division, said. “We came up with the first version of the recycled batteries in April 2023. Later we developed an improved second version and distributed them to the farms last October.”
The batteries are expected to replace existing UPSs in use on local farms across the country, commonly diesel-based emergency power generators. They are considered inefficient as they require a significant amount of fuel and require a human to turn them on and off.
One farm owner said that the new UPS battery automation system addresses problems associated with the diesel devices, such as the constant noise from the generator that he found disturbing. At his farm, the battery is installed for one of his greenhouses where he is growing “cheonhyehyang,” a type of tangerine indigenous to the island, on a 1,150 square-meter property.
Cho Chae-ho, administrator of the state-run agricultural technology developer, the Rural Development Agency, which is under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, visited the cheonhyehyang farm on Thursday and checked how the battery was helping the farm’s operations.
“There are many local farmers who are showing interest in this battery implementation business,” Kim said. “We plan to continue monitoring the farms until June. We’ll then propose to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to arrange a fund to expand our use of the EV batteries.”