Yellowstone National Park is now the site of the first ever commercial energy storage installation that uses recycled hybrid car batteries.
The Lamar Buffalo Ranch field campus is one of the most remote facilities at Yellowstone. It offers spartan lodging in a nearly pristine wilderness setting.
Now, thanks to a partnership that includes Toyota, Sharp USA, SolarWorld, the National Park Service, and others, the facility is powered by solar panels supported by an energy storage system that utilizes 208 used Toyota Camry Hybrid battery packs, which were recovered from Toyota dealers across the United States.
A company called Indy Power Systems designed an on-board battery management system for the Camry batteries used in the project. It is designed to maximize battery life and also provide important information about the performance of the batteries over long-term use.
The battery system provides 85 kWh of stored energy, which ensures continuous power for the cabins, ranger station and education center at the Lamar Ranch. Apart from the solar panels, there are plans to install onsite micro-hydro turbine systems that will capture energy from a nearby stream. This additional power will increase the capacity of the Lamar Ranch system.
For Yellowstone, the project helps the park move closer to its goal of becoming the greenest park in the world. For Toyota, apart from the good citizenship and environmental stewardship aspects of the project, it also is providing the company with real-world data on battery life and performance. Toyota has an ongoing effort to extend the lifespan of hybrid batteries.
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Hybrid Car Batteries Find New Life at U.S. National Park
Photo, posted July 8, 2013, courtesy of Loren Kerns via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.