Methodology for the Simulation based Energy Efficiency Assessment of Battery Cell Manufacturing Systems

The trend towards electrification in the energy and transportation sector requires the build-up of new production capacities for the next generation of high-end battery cells and packs. Consistent high quality products, minimum manufacturing costs and modularity of the production system are considered central planning targets. Here we present a multi-level-simulation approach that is able to complement conventional planning targets while assessing the usage of energy within battery cell manufacturing considering machine availability and site locations. The energy assessment combines simulation models at machine and process level with a model that specifies technical building systems and the building shell. The simulation model was parameterized based on insights from scientific literature, equipment manufacturer data sheets and was checked for plausability through expert interviews. Our results show that improving the energy efficiency of the coating / drying process can reduce total energy consumption of the battery manufacturing system by 13 to 30 % depending on machine availability. Considering the location of the reference factory, Germany performed best in terms of primary energy demand, Sweden best in terms of energy related CO2 emissions and China achieved superior results in terms of energy related costs.