HNU Energy and International Battery partner for Hawaiian solar energy storage pilot

8 February 2010

US lithium-ion rechargeable battery developer International Battery has teamed with HNU Energy to participate in a solar power generation and energy storage project in Maui, Hawaii.

The company said the project will assess the effectiveness of storing solar energy using new, more-efficient battery technology.

The renewable energy system is comprised of sixty 224W photovoltaic panels, a bi-directional three-phase inverter system and a charge controller network provided by system integrator HNU Energy, located in Maui, Hawaii.

International Battery said it supplied a 48V lithium-ion based energy storage system complete with battery management and controls to store the energy generated from the solar array.

The energy storage system includes four battery modules totalling 32 lithium iron phosphate cells and a battery management system integrated into a standard Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA) portable rack mount chassis.

‘We’re excited to implement International Battery’s proven battery technology and management system as part of our hybrid renewable energy solution for the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) project,’ said Dan O’Connell, CEO and founder of HNU Energy. ‘International Battery’s turnkey system and engineering capabilities made them a perfect partner for this project. Their ability to respond very quickly and design a system specific for this application was extremely beneficial. We are very impressed with their manufacturing process. It is based on an environmentally friendly water based process; a first in the industry.’

Dr Ake Almgren, president and CEO of International Battery, said, ‘We are pleased to partner with HNU Energy and demonstrate the effectiveness of our energy storage systems for the MEDB. Our lithium-ion battery modules are the ideal energy storage solution due to the high energy density, robust thermal and cycling performance as well as easy system expandability.’

Storing energy from renewable sources is vital for managing variations in electricity production, improving power quality and stabilizing the power grid. International Battery is helping communities, organizations and utilities take advantage of the company’s large format prismatic lithium-ion technology and battery management systems to maximize the energy potential of renewable systems.

HNU Energy, a subsidiary of HNU Photonics, specialises in the commercialisation and integration of solar photovoltaic technologies.

Headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, International Battery is a US manufacturer, designer, and developer of large lithium-ion rechargeable cells and batteries for use in a wide range of transportation, industrial, electric utility, smart grid and military applications.

Copyright © 2010 NewNet

Tags: energy storage, solar

This story was published on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 4:02 pm and is filed under North America, companies, solar. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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