Project Manager Saima Ansari (right) and Dr Marcel Goelden (left) with workshop participants (from left to right): Christian Förster, TÜV NORD Mobilität, Dr Tahsin Choudhury, TÜV UK, Stefan Rabe, EnergieAgentur.NRW, Dr Ralf Kotte, TÜV NORD Ensys, Frank Hiller, TÜV NORD CERT, and Marvin Peng, TÜV NORD Greater China.
The first TÜV NORD GROUP battery workshop has taken place in the Innovation Space in Hamburg. TÜV NORD experts from the U.K., China and Germany engaged in a lively exchange of ideas about current battery and energy storage systems and also discussed market opportunities for the future. Saima Ansari, from the Corporate Center Innovation of the Industrial Services business unit, organised the workshop with the support of her colleagues Jennifer Schumann and Dr Marcel Goelden. The aim was to link experts from different areas of the TÜV NORD GROUP with each other in order to exchange ideas and experience, provide mutual support, jointly develop new solutions and set up the corporation as a leading provider for the battery-powered future.
First of all, the participants presented their current projects and exchanged ideas about the future development of batteries in their role as energy storage systems. One of the most important points in the discussion was the testing and certification of batteries, not only for the initial use phase, but also subsequently as Second-Life Batteries. Those are for example electric vehicle batteries whose performance is falling but which can still be used as storage systems for stabilisation of the power grid or within private households.
“Different technologies such as batteries will play an ever more important role in future as energy storage units, but many questions as regards certification and product liability still remain unanswered. Those attending the workshop were quite thrilled to meet colleagues working in similar areas who are faced with the same challenges, and to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and determine areas they can work on together moving forward”, explained project manager Saima Ansari.
In autumn, this first workshop will be followed up by a second one in Essen, where a new Innovation Space is also soon to be opened. All those working on similar projects or who are interested in developing further activities in the battery field are invited to join the group and attend the second workshop. Please contact Saima Ansari directly (see box).