Media Release

Sydney, NSW, Australia

For immediate release

 

Sydney based company Ecoult is taking its energy storage products, powered by the UltraBattery, into Europe with an installation this month in Dublin to integrate fast-response storage with the electricity grid.

 

Respected German specialist in renewable systems and power converter manufacturer, Freqcon, has selected Ecoult to provide battery storage for its Tallaght Smart Grid Testbed, which is operated by MEGA, the Irish Micro Electricity Generation Association. The system will show how a combination of energy storage and smart power electronics can minimize electricity distribution issues and grid instability in a micro grid.

 

Norbert Hennchen, CEO of Freqcon, said, “The market for grid-tied energy storage systems is growing, and fast frequency response is a valuable system service to the grid. Ecoult`s hybrid lead-acid UltraBattery is a very promising technology in this space and we are excited to partner with Ecoult and deploy the first unit in Europe“

 

The UltraBattery system, combined with the Freqcon power converters will demonstrate that energy storage can provide “synthetic inertia”, competing with and outperforming existing fossil fuel balancing resources. The battery storage paired with an advanced power conversion system will establish that the UltraBattery system is capable of delivering system services in accordance with Ireland’s DS3 grid standard.

 

Ecoult was selected because of its ground-breaking technology, proven in the US grid market, where Ecoult has pioneered its hybrid lead-acid UltraBattery as a leading technology for fast-cycling, high-rate, partial state of charge functions. The UltraBattery is manufactured in the U.S.A. by leading manufacturer and Ecoult’s parent company East Penn Manufacturing.

 

“The UltraBattery is a hybrid technology,” Ecoult CEO John Wood explained. “It contains both battery chemistry and ultracapacitor technology built into each cell. This Australian invention has the safety, sustainability and dependability of lead-acid, and has been shown to outperform other battery chemistries in similar applications. Since the technology is built on a proven and safe lead-acid platform, UltraBattery cells are recyclable and we’re delighted that Freqcon has chosen to partner with our technology and storage system.” he said.

For more information and interview opportunities with Ecoult please contact:

• Inka Schrader, Marketing Manager, schrader@ecoult.com
• Robert Stevenson, Engineering Communications Manager, stevenson@ecoult.com

Freqcon Contact:

• Klaus Harder: +353 (0)71 966 3003; harder@freqcon.com

 

 

Background information

 

Why grid storage?

Ireland has over 2.3 GW of renewable wind generation. The variability of the wind in combination with changing loads can put a strain on the current set of fossil fuel based synchronous generation, which is depended on to support the changing wind output by ramping up and down.

 

With storage in place, the grid has a set of shock absorbers to store small amounts of excess energy and release it again seconds, minutes or hours later whenever demand is mismatched with supply. With enough of this shock-absorption in place, fossil plants that would otherwise be running for contingency in the background can be shut off. This enables renewable generation to make a larger contribution to the total energy input. The fluctuations can be easily handled by storage so sudden cloud cover or large gusts of wind that would otherwise disrupt the system are smoothed out by the battery banks.

 

As John Wood describes it; “Put simply, the grid works better, with less fossil fuel required and more renewables possible with every unit of storage added. We live by our mission statement: energy storage for a cleaner planet,” he said.

 

While many people think of energy storage as moving daytime PV to night-time peaks, the reality is that grid imbalance often happens on the scale of seconds. The grid is dynamic, with loads switching on and off all day. In today’s grid, this second-to-second imbalance is currently managed by the spinning inertia of the synchronous machines on the network. Extended energy deficits are handled by firing up “fast” response gas generators that can meet the new level of demand in a few minutes, however there is a limit to their ability to respond. Energy storage can respond almost instantaneously, supporting the grid to enable further addition of renewable generation resources.

 

Monitoring and control

 

Every Ecoult product is monitored to individual battery level and is available anywhere anytime via web browsers and mobile devices. The monitoring allows operators to maintain dependable and reliable supply, gives access to historical usage, and the ability to configure email or SMS alerts.

 

Ecoult has developed world-class monitoring and control systems for its batteries and can monitor its global installations, including the new Dublin project, remotely from anywhere in the world.

 

“In Dublin we have supplied an UltraMax – the largest of our medium-scale products, with a single unit capable of outputting 50 kW,” CEO John Wood explained. “There is huge benefit in having modular energy-storage products that can be delivered pre-assembled to site without the need for bespoke designs. The UltraMax is part of Ecoult’s growing product offering, ranging from the domestic UltraPod, about the size of a bar fridge, to our utility scale, 400 kW and 800 kW UltraRax units that are delivered in shipping containers. We recently launched our 48 volt UltraFlex – which is sized for the 20 kW range. All the systems are based on the same battery monitoring, racking and management platform, so we make it easy for our customers to put UltraBattery where it can contribute greatest impact” Mr Wood said.

About Ecoult

 

Ecoult delivers complete energy storage solutions and modules powered by the breakthrough UltraBattery technology – a hybrid lead-acid energy storage device containing both an Ultracapacitor and a battery in a common electrolyte. Invented by CSIRO and manufactured in the USA by East Penn Manufacturing, UltraBattery opens up a new dimension in lead-acid technology—enabling new applications and possibilities.

 

Ecoult’s storage solutions manage intermittencies, smooth power and shift energy in a safe, reliable and environmentally sound way – the energy storage of choice for grid ancillary services, wind and solar farms, remote microgrids, dual purpose and diesel microgrid efficiency applications. Ecoult is a subsidiary of US-based battery manufacturer East Penn Manufacturing, Inc.

 

Find out about UltraFlex and Ecoult’s revolutionary whole-of-system energy storage solutions at www.ecoult.com.

 

For more information and interview opportunities with Ecoult please contact:

• Inka Schrader, Marketing Manager, schrader@ecoult.com
• Robert Stevenson, Engineering Communications Manager, stevenson@ecoult.com

About Freqcon

Freqcon is specialized in the development and distribution of electrical equipment for renewable energy systems. The Freqcon products have proven their reliability in the harshest conditions from the Taklamakan Desert to Antarctica. One of our core competences is in the field of highly efficient MW-scale power converters based on leading edge technology. All components are sourced from well-known industrial brands with worldwide availability. With more than 15 GW of installed capacity in the wind industry over the last 20 years we are now bringing this expertise to the energy storage market. For more information, please visit our website: www.freqcon.com.

Freqcon Contact:

• Klaus Harder: +353 (0)71 966 3003; harder@freqcon.com

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