Sep 20 2016
Powin Energy, a leading designer and developer of safe and scalable battery energy storage solutions for utility, microgrid and EV fast-charging applications, announced today that they are finalists along with partners EV4 for Energy Storage North America's 2016 Innovation Awards. The project up for the prestigious recognition is an EV fast-charging station that was installed at Intel's corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The 30kW, 43kWh battery system is part of a solar plus storage structure that utilizes Powin Energy's patented Battery Pack Operating System (bp-OS). The solar+storage setup is engineered to shield the facility from high demand charges due to rapid power consumption and is capable of charging two electric vehicles per day.
"This installation with EV4 displays how our modular, scalable storage solutions can be designed to meet the demands of any project and application," said Danny Lu, Vice President of Marketing for Powin Energy. "The client needed a solar powered charging station coupled with storage that mitigates high utility bills caused by additional demand charges from the electrical grid due to fast EV charging, and our battery system helped deliver that."
Powin Energy's advanced battery management technology and its unique design of the battery assisted fast charging solution can eliminate the need to install three-phase power, which enabled EV4 to grid-tie the ETM™ (Energy Transfer Merchant) via a single phase 120/240 VAC connection. It also increases the safety and functionality of lithium-ion battery storage by managing the level of charge and discharge across the entire system to ensure the batteries stay within optimal state-of-charge parameters. The bp-OS actively monitors and manages every battery in the system and can isolate underperforming battery packs or entire strings, sending maintenance alerts and filing warranty claims automatically, which is crucial for the safety of an outdoor battery storage system operating across a range of ambient temperatures. The charging station's roof consists of 15 solar panels with a capacity of 4.1 kW which will provide an estimated 7,300 kWh of power per year. The ETM also utilizes Austin, Texas, company Ideal Power's highly efficient 30kW bi-directional power conversion system to convert AC to DC and vice-versa.
"We took great care while developing the ETM charging station," said Hans van der Meer, president and CEO of EV4. "We wanted to bring together the best solution for every component in the system. Powin Energy's battery storage system along with their comprehensive bp-OS software brought an added element of functionality and reliability."
Earlier this year, Powin Energy announced that its unique bp-OS -- including the industry-exclusive Battery Odometer and Warranty Tracker™ -- had received a United States patent. The bp-OS is a standard component in every Powin Energy Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The BESS is a self-contained 125 kW/250 kWh modular shipping container that can be scaled to service projects that are multiple megawatts in size. BESS units are less than 20 feet long, giving the system a modest footprint.
Voting is open until September 20 at ESNA's website. Winners will be announced October 5 during ESNA's 2016 conference in San Diego, California.