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Princeton Power & ZBB Announce Micro Grid Installations of Distributed Energy Storage Systems

July 30, 2012 by Jeff Shepard

Princeton Power Systems (PPS) announced that it has turned on its Energy Storage System (ESS) at BMW Group’s Technology Office in Mountain View, CA. The ESS is described as the first of its kind to use PPS’ new Demand Response Inverter in an integrated system.

The ESS, consisting of a 100kW Demand Response Inverter (DRI-100) and 30kWh lithium ion batteries, will be used to store renewable energy from the on-site solar array, reduce peak electricity demand and demonstrate dc fast charging technology for electric vehicles. The Princeton Power ESS is just one piece of BMW Group Technology Office’s USA e-mobility lab, a smart-home and electric vehicle ecosystem demonstration.

The DRI’s direct DC power routing capability demonstrates one of its critical advantages over other available inverters on the market. "These advanced capabilities make BMW’s charging system much more flexible than a typical charging station, and suitable to the deployment of both electric vehicle charging and smart grid applications," said Darren Hammell, Executive Vice President at Princeton Power Systems.

ZBB Energy Corp. announced that ZBB and its construction partner, City Cottage Group, have successfully installed and commissioned a 500kWh energy storage system and advanced power electronics for use in a micro grid application at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Campus in Chicago, IL utilizing ZBB EnerStore™ advanced energy storage technology and ZBB EnerSection™ inverter modules.

Funded by IIT and the US Department of Energy (DOE), the "Perfect Power" micro grid system at IIT is described as the first energy distribution system of its kind in the United States. IIT’s system will reduce the time and money lost to power outages and will meet IIT’s growing, specialized energy needs. In addition, it can be operated as a stand-alone power system in the case of grid contingencies.

The ZBB EnerSystem has been integrated into the ITT micro grid prototype to provide critical system backup, load-shifting, peak load reduction, and improved integration of distributed renewables. ZBB’s EnerStore battery modules will also be used to offset the addition of new electric vehicle charging stations by storing off-peak power for use during day-time peak charging periods. ZBB EnerStore flow batteries were selected for the energy storage component because they are constructed from environmentally friendly materials that provide for long service life and advanced performance when compared with traditional chemical batteries.

"This commissioning is a significant milestone for ZBB Energy and provides a blueprint that can be used to replicate our systems for use in other micro grids worldwide," said Eric Apfelbach, President & CEO of ZBB Energy. "IIT, City Cottage Group and the Galvin Perfect Power Institute are valuable partners in demonstrating why new technologies like ZBB’s energy storage and advanced power electronics are critical components for the effective build-out of micro grids across global markets."

More news and information regarding the latest developments in Smart Grid electronics can be found at Darnell’s SmartGridElectronics.Net.