The $1.5M solar generation system will be installed at Princeton Power Systems’ corporate headquarters and will connect to the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) electric grid. The 200-kilowatt solar array and energy storage system will be controlled and connected to the electric grid using Princeton Power Systems’ Grid-tied Inverter (GTIB) product.
The installation will demonstrate advanced smart grid functionality including microgrid operation, demand response, time shifting, frequency regulation and power dispatch. The inverter and energy storage system will be housed in a mobile shipping container that is expandable to include 1MWh of storage. The completed system will be fully operational in the fourth quarter of this year as system integration testing is now underway.
“To accommodate renewable energy in the electric grid more storage is needed. Using truly large format prismatic battery cells, which are manufactured using International Battery’s environmentally friendly water-based process, we can offer more energy density and efficient lithium-ion battery solutions,” said International Battery’s president and CEO, Dr. Ake Almgren.
“We’re very excited to work with Princeton Power Systems for this important demonstration project and to further advance clean energy generation.”
Key advantages of International Battery’s energy storage system are its “true” large-format batteries and its unique Battery Management System (BMS). Its large-format prismatic cells contain up to 10 times more energy than other prismatic cells and 70 times more energy than consumer-oriented cylindrical cells.
This results in a less complex system with a more efficient electrical bus and low thermal management requirements, allowing compact packaging and good system energy density. The BMS monitors the temperature and voltage of each individual cell and provides continuous active balancing of the system maintaining all cells within a narrow voltage range.
Providing monitoring of each cell makes the battery modules inherently more reliable and efficient than traditional battery designs that use wound cylindrical cells without individual cell monitoring. The active cell balancing also contributes to a very high system efficiency in the 85 to 90 percent range.
“International Battery’s large-format technology and approach to clean energy storage is a perfect fit for our large-scale solar and energy storage system,” said Darren Hammell, executive vice president of business development and co-founder of Princeton Power Systems. “We look forward to successfully demonstrating how clean distributed generation can be much more valuable and effective using energy storage.”
When the system is fully commissioned, the solar array will produce sellable Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) and offset a portion of Princeton Power Systems’ energy usage. The project is financed in part by the State of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Manufacturers Fund, which is helping Princeton Power Systems to expand its state-of-the-art research and development and manufacturing facilities for next-generation power electronics.
For more information on International Battery’s advanced technology batteries, please visit: www.internationalbattery.com or call 610-366-3925 or email [email protected].
Princeton Power Systems, founded in 2001, is a manufacturer of advanced power conversion products and alternative energy systems, with patented electronics that provide a more reliable and cost-effective means for converting electric power cleanly and efficiently. The company has solutions for renewable energy, distributed power generation, and military applications. Princeton Power Systems products reduce energy consumption, lower peak electric usage, and provide clean, renewable energy sources with superior performance.
Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., International Battery is a U.S. manufacturer, designer, and developer of large-format lithium-ion rechargeable cells and batteries for use in a wide range of electric vehicles, industrial, electric utility, smart grid and military applications, employing a uniquely environmentally friendly manufacturing process.
