The e-mobility trend is creating a new problem. What to do with all the old batteries that still work but are unsuitable for driving due to deteriorating performance? Swedish automotive group Volvo is now taking part in a project putting retired bus batteries to use in a solar installation.

Specifically, the project involves the new Viva residential complex owned by housing cooperative Riksbyggen in Göteborg, which was designed as a sustainable project. Under an energy supply plan drawn up in collaboration with energy provider Göteborg Energi and the Johanneberg Science Park, energy from the photovoltaic installations on the roofs of the apartment buildings is stored by batteries previously installed in the electric buses on line 55 in Göteborg. The installations deploy 14 used lithium-ion batteries, linked up to create a 200 kWh storage unit. They are intended to store excess electricity from the solar installation so that it can be made available at peak times or even sold. The batteries can also be used to store electricity from the national power grid.