Joint webinar: Sustainability in Energy Storage Systems

Ismini Moustafelou
May 5
4 min read

A Joint Webinar by HAVEN, SMHYLES and HiHELIOS

1 June 2026 | 14:00 – 15:30 CET | Free Online Event

Three Horizon Europe projects are joining forces for a public webinar dedicated to one of the most pressing challenges in the energy transition: making hybrid energy storage systems truly sustainable. On 1 June 2026, HAVEN, SMHYLES and HiHELIOS will open their research to a broad audience, presenting their latest findings on Life Cycle Assessment, ecodesign, materials, and second-life battery applications.

The webinar will be moderated by Camilo Borgogno, Head of Research and Development at AEIMIS, and will run from 14:00 to 15:30 CET. Attendance is free and open to all.

Register for the Webinar via the link

Why Sustainability in Energy Storage Matters

The rapid deployment of renewable energy has placed hybrid energy storage systems (HESS) at the centre of the energy transition. Yet the environmental footprint of these systems. from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life. remains a critical concern for policymakers, industry, and society.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as the standard methodology for quantifying these impacts. But applying LCA to complex, multi-technology storage systems raises fundamental questions: How do we account for second-life batteries? How do we compare systems with very different chemistries? And how can ecodesign principles translate sustainability ambitions into concrete engineering decisions from the earliest design stage?

These are exactly the questions that HAVEN, SMHYLES and HiHELIOS are tackling. and this webinar is an opportunity to learn directly from the researchers leading this work.

Programme (agenda attached)

14:00 – 14:05 | Welcome & Introduction (Camilo Borgogno, AEIMIS)

14:05 – 14:20 | HAVEN. Sustainability and Ecodesign in Hybrid Energy Storage

14:20 – 14:35 | SMHYLES. LCA and Environmental Assessment of Aqueous and Salt-Based Storage

14:35 – 14:50 | HiHELIOS. Second-Life Batteries and Lifecycle Impact

14:50 – 15:30 | Panel Discussion and Q&A

HAVEN: Ecodesign as an Engineering Tool

The HAVEN project (Hybrid and Autonomous Energy Storage for Value-creating Energy Networks) is developing a modular, scalable hybrid energy storage system combining high-energy and high-power technologies. Sustainability is not an afterthought in HAVEN. it is embedded into the design process through comprehensive ecodesign guidelines and a full environmental and social Life Cycle Assessment conducted in accordance with ISO 14040/44.

HAVEN's LCA covers the entire value chain, from raw material extraction to end-of-life, with a specific focus on Critical Raw Materials (CRM). Where CRM cannot be avoided, the project defines second-life applications and recovery strategies to maximise their useful lifespan. A Social LCA complements the environmental analysis, identifying impacts across the supply chain from a social and ethical perspective.

At this webinar, HAVEN will present the collaborative methodology behind its ecodesign guidelines, combining technical expertise with sustainability assessment, and share preliminary LCA results. including the identification of key environmental hotspots and how these are feeding back into system design decisions.

« In HAVEN, sustainability considerations actively shape how hybrid energy storage systems are designed, manufactured, and prepared for end-of-life. This session will highlight how ecodesign can be embedded as a practical tool rather than a conceptual goal. » Carolina Fraga, Product & Process Development Engineer, INEGI

HAVEN (Grant Agreement No. 101137636) is a Horizon Europe project developing a smart, modular and scalable hybrid energy storage system. havenproject.eu

SMHYLES: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Hybrid Storage

The SMHYLES project (Safe, Sustainable and Modular Hybrid Systems for Long Duration Energy Storage) is developing and demonstrating novel hybrid energy storage systems based on aqueous and salt-based chemistries coupled with supercapacitors. A central objective of SMHYLES is to achieve a 40% lower carbon footprint compared to conventional storage solutions, while reducing the use of critical raw materials and improving safety through the use of non-flammable electrolytes.

Three demonstration sites in Portugal and Germany are validating the approach across different use cases: an islanded grid on Graciosa Island, an industrial microgrid at the Sonae Campus, and a grid services application at the Fraunhofer ICT site. Novel electrolyte recycling solutions are being scaled up to industrially relevant size, with full integration into the project's lifecycle assessment.

« This webinar presents the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) approach developed in SMHYLES for hybrid energy storage systems combining vanadium redox flow batteries, ZEBRA batteries, and aqueous supercapacitors. It focuses on how an integrated life cycle perspective can support the sustainability evaluation of emerging storage technologies by linking environmental, economic, and social dimensions across materials, manufacturing, operation, and supply chains. The presentation highlights the identification of key hotspots, the role of recycling and low-carbon energy scenarios, and the value of LCSA for comparing hybrid configurations in different demonstration contexts. » Viera Pechancová, PhD, Researcher & Project Manager, Tomas Bata University in Zlín

SMHYLES is a Horizon Europe project developing novel sustainable hybrid energy storage systems based on aqueous and salt-based chemistries. smhyles.eu

HiHELIOS: LCA for Second-Life Battery Systems

The HiHELIOS project (High-Energy and High-Power Hybrid Battery Storage Solutions) is demonstrating a modular, scalable hybrid energy storage system that combines the high-power capabilities of LFP batteries or supercapacitors with the high-energy storage of second-life NMC batteries. Designed to be circular from the outset, HiHELIOS is being validated across four use cases in Greece, Belgium and Norway.

LCA is central to HiHELIOS's approach. The project applies lifecycle assessment methodology to all four use cases, covering the full modelling scope from system boundaries and assumptions to data collection and benchmarking. A key methodological challenge. and contribution. is the allocation methodology for second-life batteries: how to fairly distribute the environmental burden of a battery's first life between its original application and its reuse in a hybrid storage system.

« This session will introduce the methodology considered for the environmental assessment of the project's different use cases, including allocation approaches for second-life systems. The session will also present preliminary results for the use case in Belgium, where LFP batteries are combined with a supercapacitor to enable efficient EV charging. » Javier Yélamo Mayorga, LCA Researcher, VITO

HiHELIOS (Grant Agreement No. 101137626) is a Horizon Europe project demonstrating a high-energy and high-power hybrid battery storage platform for multiple grid services. hihelios.eu

Speakers

HAVEN

Carolina Fraga, Product and Process Development Engineer, INEGI (Portugal)

Carmen Leticia Castrejon Barron, Project Coordinator, BRING (Belgium)

SMHYLES

Viera Pechancová, LCA Researcher, Tomas Bata University in Zlín (Czech Republic)

Paul Debashri, Chemical Engineer/ Environmental Life Cycle Assessment/ Post-Doctoral Researcher (India)

HiHELIOS

Javier Yélamo Mayorga, LCA Researcher, Energy Systems, VITO (Belgium)

Olivier Dellea, Research Director, CEA (France)

Moderator

Camilo Borgogno, Head of Research and Development, AEIMIS