International Battery tests energy storage tech in Hawaii, Ohio
My quest to find companies working on renewable energy storage technology recently led me to International Battery, an Allentown, Pa., company that makes large-format rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. (With apologies to Billy Joel, I didn't make it to Allentown in person, just a phone visit.)
International Battery is worth watching because its technology is at the center of several interesting pilots, such as a new solar power generation and energy storage project being conducted by HNU Energy on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The array includes 60, 224-watt photovoltaic panels, a bi-direction 3-phase inverter system and a charge controller network that was integrated by HNU Energy. International Battery is supplying a 48-volt, 16.4 kilowatt-per-hour storage system to capture and store the energy being generated.
Here's an example of what one of International Battery's slim format cells looks like:
John Battaglini, vice president of International Battery, says because of its abundant sunlight and trade winds, Hawaii is at the forefront of the renewable energy movement. One reason that the company was chosen for the project described above is because of its water-based manufacturing process, which he says is more environmentally friendly than some alternatives.
The deal with HNU Energy is the first of several similar installations that International Battery may be called to design. Several wind farms are also studying his companies, technology, Battaglini says.
Aside from working with renewable energy installers, International Battery will likely be involved in electric grid deployments for charging plug-in vehicles. The company is also one of the green-tech companies collaborating on something called the Community Energy Storage system, being developed by S&C Electric Co. for American Electric Power.
American Electric Power, which operates in Ohio, describes the Community Energy Storage system as a scheme for distributed energy storage that will help integrate renewable energy sources such as solar and wind into its grid and also provide an infrastructure for electric vehicles. The technology will be used in the Ohio as part of the gridSMART Demonstration Project. This is a smart grid pilot being deployed to around 110,000 customers in northeast central Ohio; it has received $75 million in federal smart grid funding.
S&C says it was picked International Battery for the project because of its large format cells (each one is about 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches long by 3 inches deep), its systems engineering design capabilities, and the reliability of its technology.