Saft presents battery technologies at EP Shanghai

Saft is showing its portfolio of battery technologies developed to meet the specific needs of renewable energy applications for efficient and reliable energy storage solutions.

Advanced battery ranges on show at EP Shanghai include: Sunica.plus (nickel-cadmium), NHE (nickel-metal-hydride) and Intensium Flex (lithium-ion), which are said to be already playing key roles at the heart of stand-alone, hybrid and grid-connected renewable energy installations.

Sunica.plus batteries are based on Saft's pocket Ni-Cd technology.

They are optimised for use in PV and wind energy applications where they perform beyond conventional limits.

Saft said that the robust Sunica.plus design ensures 20 years of reliable operation, even in the harshest conditions, such as the extreme temperatures found in deserts, with only minimal maintenance.

Sunica.plus batteries offer a versatile solution for a wide variety of off-grid applications.

The maritime navigation industry has adopted Sunica.plus batteries to support more than 100 solar-powered lighthouses off the coasts of Norway and Scotland, as well the lights that mark the entrance to the Port of Gothenberg and buoys in Dutch harbours.

In the oil and gas industry, Sunica.plus batteries provide back-up power for instrumentation on offshore platforms in Indonesia as well as cathodic protection systems on an oil pipeline project in Algeria.

In Australia, a hybrid PV and diesel generator energy system relies on Sunica.plus batteries to support two 3kW solar arrays at night and during times of peak demand.

Saft's stand at EP Shanghai also features a selection of advanced nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries including: the new Uptimax low-maintenance range for industrial power back-up applications; and Tel.X batteries for outdoor telecoms plant.

Saft NHE Ni-MH battery modules have been developed for the most demanding, remote applications that call for enhanced energy density, zero maintenance, total reliability and a minimum 15 years service life.

They are compact, light and non-spillable.

Sabik, the navigation aid specialist, has installed NHE battery systems in its self-contained, PV navigation lights developed for marking abandoned offshore structures in the Frigg North Sea oilfield.

Sabik specified the Saft NHE batteries, which are sealed for life, to meet a design requirement that the entire system should provide four years of maintenance-free operation.

The lightweight NHE modules also make the batteries safer and easier for transportation by helicopter.

The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) in Scotland is also installing NHE modules at some of its most remote PV powered lighthouses, such as Sule Skerry, in order to minimise the need for routine maintenance visits by helicopter.

Trials are also being carried out on the replacement of VRLA (valve regulated lead acid) batteries with NHE in navigational buoys where the possibility to increase the installed battery energy will allow greater load requirements for AIS (automatic identification system) and MET (weather data collection) packages without superstructure modifications.

Saft's Intensium Flex modular lithium-ion (Li-ion) system is a new battery technology aimed specifically at the more specialised renewable energy applications that are now starting to emerge.

It is provided in a rack-mount format, integrating battery management, protection and communication functions.

The modules are hot pluggable and completely maintenance free and can enable a battery system to be customised to provide the optimum battery configuration, with series strings of up to 720V and up to 16 parallel strings.

This provides Intensium Flex with the flexibility and adaptability to be optimised for high-power rapid reserve in wind hybrid systems as well as for traditional photovoltaic (PV) applications.

Intensium Flex systems are currently being deployed in the EU-backed Sol-ion project to develop a new industrial-scale concept in energy conversion and storage for grid connected residential photovoltaic (PV) systems.

This project is introducing Li-ion batteries into PV systems on the largest scale ever tested in Europe, with 75 650V Li-ion batteries deployed in Germany and France in 2009/10.

An Intensium Flex system also features in a joint Saft and ABB project to develop a high-voltage Li-ion battery system designed to improve the stability of power distribution grids.

The system combines dynamic energy storage provided by a 5.2kV battery, which will help respond to disruptions in the grid, with ABB's SVC (Static Var Compensation) light technology for dynamic voltage control.

Potential applications include industries with high short-term power demands as well as utility grids fed by a high percentage of variable renewable energy sources, especially wind power.

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