EaglePicher to Deliver a Flexible Microgrid Energy Storage System for DoD

EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, (EPT) announced today that it has been awarded a contract from Erigo Technologies LLC of Enfield, New Hampshire. Erigo's contract, funded under the Department of Defense Rapid Innovation Fund and awarded by the U.S. Corp of Engineers on behalf of the U.S. Northern Command, calls for delivery of an innovative system employing multiple battery types and sophisticated control systems to address the frequency, duty cycle, and storage needs of the conventional and renewable power sources that make up many DoD microgrids.

The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will be based on EPT’s patented PowerPyramid™ hybrid energy storage system technology which, given the power sources and load characteristics of the microgrid environment, can be tailored to quickly and smoothly compensate for load imbalances and power source interruptions. The BESS will be delivered to the Government where it will undergo testing and evaluation at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy System Integration Facility (ESIF), located on the campus of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. At the completion of testing, NREL will assist USNORTHCOM in putting the system into service at a to-be-determined military base.

The team will deliver a three-tiered, 300 kW/386 kWh PowerPyramidâ„¢ grid-tied energy storage system capable of providing grid stabilization, microgrid support and on-command power response. This three-tiered hybrid battery system was selected as the best configuration to demonstrate the functionality of the hybrid PowerPyramidâ„¢ system. The three tiers of batteries included in the 386 kWh BESS system will be Li-Ion, lead-acid and nickel-iron to deliver an appropriate balance of rapidly available energy and total power. The system is designed to be modular so any number of additional tiers could be added to the system at a later date.

“This is a significant contract award for EaglePicher,” stated Dave Lucero, EPT’s Director of Alternative/Grid Energy Storage. “Not only will it validate our scalable approach for smart microgrid applications, it provides a flexible solution for operations at DOD bases that struggle with electrical power disruptions.”

EPT’s patented PowerPyramid™ technology surpasses conventional storage techniques by leveraging complimentary benefits of diverse energy storage technologies. By integrating multiple diverse energy storage technologies into a single system, EaglePicher’s PowerPyramid™ can deliver the performance and cycle life of a high-cost energy storage technology at a significantly lower cost. The project team will leverage EaglePicher’s 70 years of experience in the energy storage business to provide a competitive, state-of-the-art solution to meet USNORTHCOM’s needs.