ViZn Energy Systems Inc. (ViZn) is offering an optional 95 percent power guarantee on their large scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) for up to 20 years. This guarantee will be available to supplement ViZn's comprehensive warranty which is offered in multiple durations up to 20 years, twice the industry average. The guarantee is straightforward, simple, and is independent of battery duty cycle or energy throughput.
ViZn BESSs are in a format that scales from 50kW to 100MW and feature: High power, short duration: Millisecond switching between charge and discharge cycles enables rapid- response applications such as demand charge reduction and wholesale grid regulation services. High capacity, long duration: More than 8 hours discharge at nominal rated power output, and up to 4 hours continuous discharge at maximum rated power output. State of charge access: Access to full capacity of the battery (100% state of charge) without damage, enabling more usable output than competitive batteries. Heavy duty cycle: Cycle for more than 20-years at high frequency and at high power several times per day without degradation, cell replacement or life reduction. Efficiency: No HVAC for regulating internal temperatures results in competitive “all-in†round trip efficiency with nearly all commercially available energy storage systems.
“Lithium-ion battery life and their limited warranties have been one of the limiting factors for the widespread adoption of energy storage,†said Ron Van Dell, CEO of ViZn Energy Systems. “Our flow batteries have been thoroughly evaluated by Black and Veatch for longevity and performance over a long system life. The system’s long term warranty and ability to deliver 95 percent of the rated power for 20 years will give utilities, developers, and banks confidence that their energy storage is engineered to last as long as the infrastructure or generation system it is typically coupled with. We hope to bring simplicity, consistency and project lifetime-based warranties to customers, which have been encumbered by partial-coverage warranties.â€
ViZn’s guarantee is made possible because, unlike lithium-ion batteries, their flow batteries avoid traditional wear out mechanisms that can degrade battery power and capacity over time. Contrast this with other stationary storage systems that are frequently oversized up to 40 percent to account for anticipated degradation or wear-out and have life-limiting dependencies due to temperature variations, discharge power amounts, and discharge cycles.
In economic terms, developers, installers, and integrators can count on a ViZn Energy stationary storage system to provide unmatched project ROI as it delivers high power services and high energy capacity for the life of their system. There is no longer a need to account for added costs such as cell replacement, out-of-coverage O&M, and reduced performance typically experienced with today’s lithium-ion battery systems.
ViZn’s flow batteries are manufactured by Jabil’s ISO 9001-certified production team in Florida and the technology utilizes a non-toxic, low-cost zinc and iron chemistry that makes sighting and permitting relatively painless and time efficient. Unlike lithium-ion battery systems, ViZn’s versatile flow batteries are capable of performing both high-power and long-duration applications, which allows our customers to incorporate multiple value streams and realize more favorable project ROI than other energy storage technologies. ViZn is currently building the largest flow battery in North America and is on track to be the largest global producer of flow batteries by the end of 2016.
