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Quantum Sodium Nickel battery system – Renew magazine
Most energy storage systems use lead-based or lithium based batteries, but there are other, lesser known technologies that work as well or better than the popular chemistries.
One of those chemistries is the Sodium Nickel Chloride battery manufactured by FIAMM in Switzerland, which uses sodium and nickel metals with a solid ceramic electrolyte, with the entire battery running at around 270 °C! While this sounds scary, it is a well developed and mature technology with high efficiency and long cycle life, making it idea for domestic and commercial energy storage systems.
The Quantum smart energy storage system from Grid Edge uses a FIAMM Sodium Nickel battery to store energy for load shifting, backup power and self-consumption of solar power generation. The system, designed and made in Australia, is available in 9.6 and 19.2 kWh usable storage capacities (basically the same unit with either one or two battery modules), has a 4.5 kW continuous/9 kW peak inverter and a cycle life of 3000 to 4500 cycles at 80% DOD. Shelf life is rated at greater than 20 years! System operating temperature range is -40 °C to 60 °C, making it ideal for use in extreme climates. Both battery and system are warranted for five years and the battery units are 100% recyclable.
Article by Lance Turner taken from Renew Magazine – Issue 136
Categories: Energy storage -
John with our Quantum poster
Grid Edge has developed its own plug and play smart energy storage solution, that uses the
rechargeable Sodium Nickel battery technology.
This “Quantum” unit has an inverter incorporated into it as well as all the wiring and BMS system to allow you to monitor your battery from anywhere. It is designed to be easily installed without the need for long installation times needed by expert renewable energy qualified installers which reduces the installed cost.
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2015 was the hottest year on record
On 21st January 2016 the US based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that 2015 was the hottest year on record with the average global temperature climbing to 0.9oC above the 20th century average of 13.9oC. This follows the previous record in 2014 of a 0.74oC increase.
2015 was the 39th consecutive year of above average annual temperatures and 2015 saw 10 months exceeding previous records for that month.
Sometimes people forget what the push for renewables, including energy storage is really about. It’s about making the world a more equitable place for all, humans, plants and animals alike rather than just making it an easy way for some people to make money.
When contemplating battery energy storage people should really be looking on it as a way to protect the earth for their children by limiting the use of fossil fuels in order to protect the environment.
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High Embodied Energy of SoNick battery
John describing some of the features of our Sodium Nickel Chloride battery at a recent display.
This was a local sustainability group that already had a degree of knowledge of alternative energy solutions and the SoNick battery met with a lot of interest.
Amongst other things, people were impressed with the very high embodied energy contained in the small footprint of the battery with 10 Kw in a battery of only 55 cm x 50 cm x 32 cm.
Although this battery id the premium size for the domestic market that wants to become energy independent the sodium nickel technology is also available in smaller capacities and sizes for people that would just like to offset some of their power.
Categories: Energy storage -
Interview with John Ballis GridEdge CEO
Below is a short extract from an interview by Tracy Cromwell with John Ballis, the CEO of Grid Edge Pty Ltd:
Tracy : Why did you choose the FIAMM SoNick battery as your preferred storage medium? John B: The FIAMM SoNick battery was chosen because it addressed all of our concerns and was the only battery that ticked all the boxes for a truly ethical and renewable product. We looked for a product that would not only address the needs of today but also what we may require in the future. The FIAMM SoNick battery is 100% recyclable with a recycling end-of-life program already in place and approved by the European Union. As we say “a battery safe enough to store under the dining room table of your home”. This is a battery that can handle a large operating range and can operate under extreme conditions, and also importantly, a battery which doesn’t use any of our precious metal resources. Tracy: How do GridEdge storage systems compare on price to other systems.
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Operating Temperatures for Energy Storage Batteries
The SoNick or molten salt batteries have an operating range of -20° to +60°C which makes them a much better alternative to other batteries.
In Australia, we have extreme weather conditions and even in a garage in suburbia, a common place for housing a battery, the temperature can often exceed 40°C.The SoNick batteries are the only batteries that will really work in temperatures over 40°C without having any detrimental effect to the batteries longevity. Although other batteries claim to be able to operate at the 40°C mark, they will deteriorate when operating around this temperature and will have a much reduced lifetime.
The wide temperature range of operation makes it a perfect battery for hot remote areas or areas that are bushfire prone. Other batteries stop working at around 40°C whereas the Sodium Nickel Chloride battery continues to work to at least 60°C and doesn’t need cooling. For example the lithium ion batteries that are currently receiving a lot of market attention from Tesla, only have an operating range of around 5 – 35°C, which means they will not operate on many hot days in Australia and even on cooler days if they are not housed in a cool enough environment.
Categories: Battery temperatures -
April 2016 temperatures sets record as hottest ever
When you see headlines like this and on a consistent basis it makes you realise you cannot wait for governments to take action on climate change. It is up to each one of us to take the actions we can.
As Margaret Meade says “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for April 2016 was 1.10°C above the 20th century average of 13.7°C. This is the highest temperature departure for April since global records began in 1880. This value surpassed the previous record set in 2010 by 0.28°C.
This was also the fourth highest monthly temperature departure among all 1,636 months on record, behind March 2016, 1.23°C, February 2016, 1.19°C, and December 2015, 1.12°C.
Overall, 13 out of the 15 highest monthly temperature departures in the record have all occurred since February 2015, with February 1998 and January 2007 among the 15 highest monthly temperature departures.
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Off Grid living in the city
For many people who are interested in becoming more energy independent in whatever format, up to becoming
completely independent of the grid there is a steep learning curve to understand the different technologies and their capabilities. The quality and performance of some products are definitely better than others and it is definitely not the products that come from companies with large advertising budgets that necessarily have the best products.Have a look at this article that shares the experience of some people that have decided to move off the grid, http://www.domain.com.au/advice/solar-panels-and-battery-systems-power-offgrid-living-as-a-lifestyle-choice-20160521-gozo7b/.
Categories: Energy storage -
Linda discussing Sodium Nickel battery at Bairnsdale
Linda describing the high energy density, which is one of the superior features of our Sodium Nickel Chloride battery at a display at the East Gippsland 2016 farm day at the Bairnsdale.
At 9.6kW in a battery that is only 55 cm x 50 cm x 32 cm, the FIAMM SoNick battery has one of the best energy densities of all current batteries available in Australia.
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Take-up of battery energy storage use
There are a variety of reasons that people choose to make use of battery storage. In the domestic market the most common ones are to reduce the price they are paying for ever increasing electricity costs by shifting power from their solar panels collected during the day to when it is needed at night. This is particularly relevant to people that are on low “feed in tariffs” or higher “feed in tariffs” that are finishing in the near future. Another reason is for stability of supply as many areas are getting more and more outages as pressure is put on a grid that has been privatized and may not be doing as much maintenance as is required. Many people recognise that using renewable energy, including storage is not just about an investment and getting a return on moneys invested but it is a matter of reducing the reliance on coal powered electricity generation and protecting the planet we have for our children. This take-up of energy storage will only increase as its usage increases, similar to the take-up of solar panels.
Categories: Energy storage
Recent Posts
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