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Areva and Schneider Electric partner for flow battery storage

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france

flow battery

Schneider

Energy storage

hydrogen fuel cell

France’s nuclear and renewables company Areva and critical power supplier Schneider Electric have teamed up for the development of a flow battery storage solution.

The project, funded by the European Union, is aimed to optimise an existing 50kW flow battery prototype made by EnStorage to a 150kW demonstration module. The new energy storage solution will be designed to generate and store electricity from renewable energy by combining hydrobromic acid and hydrogen.

Schneider Electric invests $13m in Latvian factory

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critical power

Schneider

UPS

French critical power supplier Schneider Electric is to build a production facility for its Latvian subsidiary Lexel Fabrika for $13m.

Lexel Fabrika manufactures electromechanical and electrical equipment for Schneider Electric’s product. It also serves the Scandinavian and German market with electronic appliances. The new plant is aimed to produce new product lines.

Lexel Fabrika had a turnover of $50m in 2013, placing the company among Latvia’s top-earning businesses. “The success factors that have been driving business growth in previous years included launch of new production lines and taking over additional production lines from other companies of the Schneider Electric group,” said Schneider Electric Latvia spokeswoman Santa Rutka.

Schneider Electric Latvian CEO Kaspars Rokens noted that the launch of the new plant's construction is a significant investment project and asserts confidence in Latvia's economic growth.

The construction of the new plant started in July and should be finished in the first half of 2015. Lexel Fabrika is Schneider Electric’s only producing enterprise in the Baltic States.

Schneider Electric launches smart-UPS in Southern Africa

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Schneider Electric has introduced two models of its next-generation uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to Southern Africa markets.

The UPS models, standard SMT and extended run SMX, are designed to handle low, medium as well as high load levels and to protect equipment against blackouts and spikes.

The models are equipped with features such as an intuitive LCD user interface, switched outlet groups, battery management indicator and an emergency power off option.

“The enhanced intelligent battery ensures that the temperature compensated charger extends battery life and advanced algorithms recommend replacement date,” said Schneider Electric distribution account manager Christelle Larkins.

A “green” mode enables efficiencies of more than 97% and saves utility and cooling costs without compromising performance or reliability, according to the UPS supplier.

“It is a trusted product to protect critical data and equipment from power problems as the UPS supplies clean and reliable network-grade power,” said Larkins and added that the models have already been introduced to European, US and Australian markets.

The UPS units come with a three-year warranty and can be used in the telecom sector, banks, retail stores, laboratories, medical sectors and areas with security devices.

Schneider launches Smart UPS

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critical power

Schneider

uninterruptible power supply

Schneider Electric has added a range of 5-10kVA uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to its APC On-Line product line.

The French firm claims its 6-10kVA units are the first single-phase UPS to feature its unity power factor capability while the 5kVA UPS have a 0.9 power factor. The products use double conversion and a design in which the inverter provides regulated power output.

The so-called 'smart' UPS are aimed to ‘know’ when they should intervene, which leads to energy savings and longer service life. Most computer and networking equipment can ride through >20ms voltage breaks. The UPS is programmed to only intervene when it is necessary. “The unity power factor provides more real power for the active power factor typically found in most IT servers and network equipment”, said Bill Manning VP Business Power Solutions at Schneider.

The new UPS range claims to be easy installed in various environments because of its flexible design. Schneider’s UPS can also be operated in a so-called “green” mode, where the double conversion operations are bypassed to enable 97% efficiency to create fewer heat losses, which in the end lead to a longer life of key components. Manning added: “With rising cost of energy and concerns over efficiency, IT and facility professionals are keen to minimise waste by ensuring a better fit between infrastructure and load requirements.”