New “LeBlock” from Leclanché Brings Simplicity to Advanced Battery Energy Storage Systems

Image courtesy of Leclanche

 

• Fully modular and scalable solution designed to reduce the total cost of ownership
• Built-in-safety using modular BatteryBlocks and CombiBlocks and includes all wiring, protection and cooling
• Reduces the time, complexity and cost for logistics, installation, relocation and recycling
• Helps to reduce carbon footprint and environmental impact

 

YVERDON-LES-BAINS, Switzerland and ANDERSON, Indiana – Based on extensive experience in delivering and implementing storage projects in hard to reach locations, Leclanché, one of the world’s leading energy storage companies, is introducing a new concept in battery energy storage systems featuring plug and play simplicity, scalability, modularity, a reduced carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Introducing LeBlockTM, a series of interchangeable five-foot wide blocks which interlock to allow for shipping as a standard 20-foot ISO container and serve as the heavy-duty enclosure for the installed system. The blocks are manufactured in two varieties:

• BatteryBlock – Shipped with pre-installed liquid-cooled battery racks up to 745 kWh (as of today). Each battery block is equipped with a fire protection system.
• CombiBlock – Connects the battery blocks and is equipped with appropriate protection devices. Furthermore, it contains a centralized liquid cooling unit dedicated to the temperature management of the connected battery blocks.

Blocks can be easily moved from a boat to a truck for simplified transportation and installation on a slab/pad by crane. No packaging or container waste removal is required. Since the blocks are shipped with the batteries in-place and wiring/connectors pre-installed, there is no site-specific cabling required.

Blocks offers the possibility for use in a storage as a service approach, where the blocks are transported and relocated depending on the real need, such as for EV charging stations that need higher power than the existing grid connection.

“LeBlock is designed to assist utility and energy project managers seeking a less complex, reliable and cost-effective solution to replace or increase the reliability of the grid while helping to reduce carbon footprint and the impact of power generation on the environment,” said Anil Srivastava, CEO, Leclanché. “It’s ironic that many energy storage installations today ignore the short-term impact on the environment, system upgradability and end-of-life issues to bring a solution to market.”

 

System Safety A Critical Design Element

LeBlock has been designed from its earliest concept stage with the highest demands of safety at both a system level as well as for its operators. Recent industrywide fire incidents emphasize the need for the safe and smart design of battery enclosures. LeBlock’s partitioned architecture mitigates a potential fire risk. Beyond that the system is equipped with several state-of-the-art features to ensure the highest level of safety including:

• Fire resistant construction with higher fire rating of the enclosure
• Emergency stop function to trigger a controlled shutdown by internal safety features or battery anomalies detected by the Leclanché energy management software (EMS).
• Fire detection and suppression system with automatic activation to detect and suppress a fire before it spreads to adjacent cells
• Isolation monitoring to detect faults and safely disconnect the batteries before a serious problem occurs
• Deflagration panel for relief of any internal pressure

The system complies with all common international standards for transport and battery integration including UN38.3, UL9540A, IEC62933, NFPA 855, NFPA 68 and more.

Leclanché, with headquarters in Switzerland, manufacturing and assembly in Switzerland and Germany and U.S. operations in Anderson, Indiana, has been active globally in designing and delivering projects in Europe, North America and the Caribbean.

The company has spent several years researching and developing energy storage solutions in hard-to-reach locations which address these very hidden industry issues – removal of shipping containers, built in modularity and upgraded architecture and a rational way to decommission and remove non-functioning assets in a responsible and sustainable fashion.

“Our design imperative was to create a complete solution that, conceptually, was as simple to build as a children’s building block set,” said Anil Srivastava. “With LeBlock, and coupled with our leading EMS platform, we believe we have achieved this business objective.”

The combination of plug and play interconnection, simplified logistics, minimal required engineering and fast installation on-site translates up to 40% time and cost savings and a lower total cost of ownership.

Complete LeBlock specifications are available online (www.leclanche.com/leblock) with initial deliveries available beginning in the fourth quarter of 2021.

LeBlock is a trademark of Leclanché SA. All other trade names are the property of their respective owners.

 

About Leclanche

Leclanché SA is a world leading provider of high quality energy storage solutions, based on lithium-ion cell technology, accelerating our progress towards a cleaner energy future. It has over 110 years of battery and energy storage innovation, powered by German engineering and Swiss quality. Leclanché is the only listed pure play energy storage company in the world and is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange.