Rechargeable lithium ion battery units as supplemental energy in Haiti

An intermittent or non-existent power grid currently plagues most of Haiti. Haitians, therefore, use diesel and/or other forms of power to supplement or replace the grid, often a costly expense. Batteries that charge when power is available are the only option for around-the-clock power on demand. Lead acid battery packs that are environmentally harmful, wastefully large and unreliable are currently the only economically viable battery pack option. The Green Energy Storage Technology (GEST) team has made a preliminary demonstration of a rechargeable lithium ion battery unit that is more environmentally aware, smaller and potentially more reliable than lead acid battery storage units. The parts for such units could be imported to Haiti for local assembly owned and directed by Haitian entrepreneurs while providing much needed local employment. GEST is in the process of determining what type of lithium ion battery will provide acceptable metrics for weight, lifetime, and environmental footprint at acceptable cost. To achieve this goal, GEST is considering a number of emerging battery technologies including lithium iron phosphate and lithium manganese iron phosphate. The GEST team will spend the summer of 2014 validating a value proposition to determine a minimum viable product for the Haitian marketplace.