Ultracapacitor innovator Maxwell Technologies is developing a component that it will focus on the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) marketplace. The 56-volt module will be focused on UPS equipment for data centers, hospitals, factories and telecommunications facilities.
Maxwell is angling hard to claim various pieces of the energy storage marketplace. It figures this piece is worth something like $1 billion annually. It is banking on the briefness of most power disturbances as a factor in its favor and its pushing its ultracapacitor technology as a short-term way to bridge systems over to generators or long-term backup sources if an outage is complete. Says Van Andrews, Maxwell senior vice president of sales and marketing: “The vast majority of power disturbances last a second or less, so ultracapacitors provide an excellent technical solution for the application, and their projected 14-year life in a typical UPS installation makes for a compelling value proposition.”
Here are some things to know about the specific technology it is working on.
- The estimated life of the module would be about 14 years
- It would come in 3U and 4U form factors, for rack integration
- Maxwell is working on 4 kilowatt, 5 kilowatt, 6.5 kilowatt and 10 kilowatt versions
- The modules will be series-connectable, for systems requiring up to 750 volts
- The materials don’t require special recycling
Right now, Maxwell Technologies says it is testing the technology with several UPS system integrators. It is running several beta tests and is looking to go broader with the distribution in March.
For those of you, like me, who are increasingly fascinated by this whole technology area, Pike Research has just published a white paper about the fuel cell industry. The paper actually covers the technologies that would be competitive to Maxwell’s option, focused on materials restrictions and new markets where energy storage is becoming a much larger factor. Good background, especially since it is free.
