German-Indian startup Nunam and its cofounder, Berlin-based Prodip Chatterjee along with his team have turned two Audi e-tron battery modules from test vehicles into a solar nanogrid.

The newly developed energy storage system is currently being tested in daily use at a local energy service provider in India. The prototype currently allows roughly 50 shopkeepers and small businesses to continue working even after dark. The Audi Environmental Foundation is supporting the nonprofit start-up to advance research into the technical requirements for second-life power storage systems made of used batteries.

"In parts of Uttar Pradesh, hours-long power outages regularly make life difficult for the people who live there," says the 30-year old cofounder of Nunam, Prodip Chatterjee. While visiting family, he came up with the idea to complement the electricity supply with mobile second-life energy storage systems to ensure that important everyday items such as lamps continue to work.

The Audi Environmental Foundation already funded the first part of the pilot phase of the project, in which cells from old laptop batteries were converted into energy storage systems for low-power applications such as lamps or smartphones.

In the second project phase, the 11-person local Nunam team is extending the possible applications and using two considerably more powerful battery modules from Audi e-tron test vehicles. "Second-life batteries offer immense opportunities for greater sustainability, especially if they are powered by green electricity. We prevent the premature recycling of intact battery modules while ensuring that people can get cheap access to electricity. Our vision is to establish such battery storage systems as backup solutions," says Prodip Chatterjee.