Product category:
Batteries, chargers and circuit protection
News Release from: Saft Industrial Batteries | Subject: Rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 30 August 2006
Batteries smooth supplies to remote
Norwegians
Rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries help Norway's Utsira Island community to become renewable energy self-sufficient.
Saft rechargeable Ni-Cd (nickel-cadmium) batteries are playing an important role in the success of the joint Hydro and Enercon project on Utsira Island - the world's first practical demonstration of how wind power and hydrogen storage can work together to create an efficient and reliable, stand-alone, energy supply system for remote communities Over the past two years, a community of 10 households on the windswept island off the west coast of Norway has been living off-grid, with its peak-load requirement of 55kW provided from its own, local, renewable resources
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 20 Feb 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Ni-Cd batteries power automated vehicles
Swisslog has switched to Saft STM rechargeable nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery modules for its new generation Telelift TransCar LTC2 AGVs (automated guided vehicles).
Batteries chosen for passenger coaches
Saft Matrics MRX rechargeable nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries willreplace the on-board lead-acid batteries on four new trainsets and 24 existing trainsets.
The 37kWh Saft battery system forms a vital buffer in the island's energy chain by providing up to 30 minutes of backup power to ensure complete grid reliability in the case of heavy load variations, component failure and bridging between generation methods.
Two 600kW Enercon E-40 wind turbines have been installed at Utsira Island.
In the first practical example of a combined wind power and hydrogen storage project anywhere in the world, Hydro has developed a method of storing the surplus electricity generated in the form of hydrogen produced by water electrolysis.
Further reading
Unbiased battery comparison software!
Saft's new free software compares within seconds the suitability of different types of industrial batteries according to user-defined criteria - and it doesn't always recommend Saft's own batteries.
Credit Suisse changes to nickel-cadmium batteries
Credit Suisse Group, the global banking and insurance group, has become the first major bank to adopt nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries to guarantee the power supply to critical computer systems.
When the wind doesn't blow, a hydrogen motor and fuel cell convert the stored hydrogen back into electricity.
This way the two wind turbines function as a stable and secure source of power for the tiny island community, ensuring that sufficient renewable power can be generated at any time - even when consumption is high and wind activity is minimal.
Any excess power is sold on the electricity market.
To ensure the stability of the island's electricity grid, short term storage for smoothing of the wind energy in the seconds range combined with frequency control is provided by a 200kW Enercon flywheel.
For longer support, up to 30 minutes, a battery system was required.
Due to the nature of this application, the main criteria were cycle life and robustness, rather than energy density.
After an intensive 18-month test period to evaluate various battery technologies and suppliers, Enercon decided that Saft rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries with a sintered/PBE construction, developed specifically to offer a high-cycling capability in high-rate applications, offered the optimum combination of cost, reliability and performance.
The Saft battery system comprises 140 Ni-Cd cells in series, with a nominal voltage of 168V and a power capacity of 40kW.
The battery system is kept on float-charge, and typically is called on for a few minutes support once a day.
In 2004, the Utsira project won the Platts Global Energy Award for best project within renewable energy.
It was planned to run for two years, however Hydro and Enercon have now decided to extend the demonstration until spring 2008. Request a free brochure from Saft Industrial Batteries ...
• Saft Industrial Batteries: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
