off-grid

US-based Navitas Systems has launched a transportable remote power system with integrated energy storage and power inverter electronics.

According to Navitas Systems, the so-called Frontierion system can be connected to a flexible or rigid solar panel, enabling DC power from the solar panels or the integrated energy storage (lead acid or lithium-ion batteries) to be converted to stable and secure 115/220V AC, 12V DC, and 24V DC power output.

The system is aimed to incorporate multiple layers of protection to include short circuit protection, over-current protection, and externally resettable protection without the need of opening the box.

The Frontierion system is designed to allow users to rapidly deploy and re-deploy mobile power systems that require no fuel for continuous and secure power. The remote power system can come with different sized energy storage modules, ranging from 1.2kWh to 10kWh of total capacity.

“The applications for this new product are numerous, and range from an insurance company's 'Go-Team' responding to a tornado and processing on-site claims while plugged into Frontierion, to a Border agent powering his equipment while the vehicle's engine is off, to a remote construction site needing power for computing and communications,” said Navitas Systems CEO Mil Ovan.

Navitas Systems recently launched a lithium battery family, designed to replace currently used lead-acid batteries in commercial, industrial and military applications.

A 5MW solar-diesel hybrid power plant connected battery storage is to be installed in Bolivia's Pando province.

Solely diesel generators are currently powering the remote area, located 4,000 metres above sea level and not connected to Bolivia's national grid. The 5MW solar plant is designed to meet half of Pando's capital city Cobija's power demand. The city has 45,000 residents.

Inverter manufacturer SMA is to provide controlling systems, central inverters and battery storage. "The SMA Fuel Save Controller records the energy flows in the stand-alone grid and uses that information to determine the maximum permissible PV power. In this way, we can guarantee permanent system stability and ensure smooth control of the gensets," said SMA senior vice president off-grid and storage Volker Wachenfeld.

Spain's engineering firm Isotron is currently carrying out the construction of the plant.

The plant is aimed to reduce the annual consumption of 20m litres of diesel and save $3m of fuel costs.

The solar power plant is set to start generating 2MW of electricity later this year and increase the capacity over the following months. According to SMA, it is worldwide the biggest plant of its kind.

The plant is fully state-owned.

US-based Apel Steel has commissioned energy solutions provider ACE LLC Solar to install its energy storage system (ESS) at the company’s 340KW PV plant.

The utility-scale energy harvesting, monitoring and distribution system aims to move the PV plant off the grid to make metal manufacturer Apel Steel independent from the grid.

The ESS, called enerGStation, has a three-phase power at up to 2MW in increments of 100kW. Each integrated inverter is rated at 100kW and can be configured in parallel to provide a 2MW system. The system uses renewable energy when available and sufficient. Otherwise, it uses local energy storage from batteries to deliver the total energy demanded by loads.

The plant is designed to meet 98% of Apel’s annual power demand for its heavy machinery and plant operations. The ESS will save the Alabama company more than $3M on its electricity bills over the 30-year life expectancy of the system, according .

Suntech produced the solar panels and Tenessee-based ACE LLC Solar conducted the final installment of the PV plant along with its ESS.

A consortium led by Newcastle University has developed a small-scale off-grid combined heat and power (CHP) system incorporating an energy storage system (ESS).

The small-scale CHP system, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), uses waste heat to provide cooling and heat as well as power. A domestic-scale tri-generation system of this type would be rated between 6kW and 9kW electricity.

The ESS is designed to provide dependable electricity and to cope with daily fluctuation demand for electricity without a connection to the grid. “Our solution was to incorporate advanced electrical storage into the system, both batteries and the latest supercapacitors, combined with innovative system control,” said Tony Roskilly, professor at Newcastle University.

To make the system greener and accessible for isolated homes in developing countries, the CHP is run by biofuels. “We developed a system for using the oils obtained from pressing crop seeds, like those from jatropha and croton,” said Roskilly. The crops can grow in harsh environments and do not affect food production, according to the researchers.

The team also included researchers from University of Leeds, University of Ulster and three Chinese universities.

Australia Energy Development Limited (EDL) has obtained $17.3m from Australian government to deploy an off-grid diesel hybrid plant in South Australia.

EDL aims to combine 3MW of wind generation, 2MW of solar PV and 3.9MW of the existing diesel station to provide the city of Coober Pedy with 70% renewable energy. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), set up in 2012 by Australian government, gave the funding to support the project.

The project will also include short-term energy storage, fast-start diesel engines and a control system.

“These enabling technologies have been successfully tried and tested by Hydro Tasmania at the ARENA-supported King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project and this represents an opportunity to see them evolve for use on the mainland and in an outback community that has few alternative energy options,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht.

“This ambitious project may demonstrate a combined approach for powering off-grid Australian communities that currently rely solely on expensive trucked-in diesel,” added Frischknecht.

Australia’s off-grid demand is growing and renewable energy projects can lead to savings of expenses as technology costs reduce and fossil fuel costs increase, highlighted the company.

EDL intends to restructure an existing power purchasing agreement with Coober Pedy with a 20-year agreement.