Battery Power

September/October 2012 www.BatteryPowerOnline.
com Volume 16, Issue 5

UPS failure is the #1*
cause of Data Center outages . . .
. . . for everyone else.

Our customers must deliver high availability and
uptime they expect nothing less and neither should
you. In fact, our customers have a perfect track
record of 100% UPS battery system uptime since
1992. Under our watch, no customer has suffered
from the far-reaching consequences of these outages.
Give us a call or visit our website to learn how you

can join the companies that have avoided becoming
another statistic.
COME SEE US AT:

Intelec 2012 in Scottsdale, AZ Visit www.intellibatt.com/uptime to learn more.
View our session on
VRLA Battery Lifetime Fingerprints
Booth# 102 1 877 422 8874 (USA)
1 415 839 7270 (Intl.)
*Source: Ponemon Institute: Addressing the Leading Root Causes of Downtime www.intellibatt.com ENSURING MISSION CRITICAL POWER

Volume 16, Issue 5 Inside this issue of
Editor & Publisher
David Webster
Director of Content
Nick Depperschmidt
EDITORS CHOICE
Senior Editor
Shannon Given
PRBA Battery Proposals Adopted By UN Transport
Associate Editor
Heather Krier Sub-Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p 4
News Editors Jeremy Fleming,
Sue Hannebrink, Scott Webster
FEATURES
Manager of Administration The Use of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Uninterruptible
Marsha Grillo
Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p 6
Advertising, Sales and Marketing
Jeremy Fleming, Monitor Your Battery Cells for Superior Reliability p 10
Director of Sales
Jennifer Graham,
Marketing Assistant Juicing Up the Battery: Cutting Edge Research
Julie Hammond,
Production Manager Delivers Battery Enhancements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p 13
Director of Support Services
Marc Vang
PEM Fuel Cell Systems Reliable Backup Power
Source for Remote or Extended Run
BATTERY POWER (ISSN #1092-
3616) is published bi-monthly by
Power Outages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p 16
Webcom Communications Corp.,
7355 E. Orchard, #100 Greenwood Why Your Next Renewable System Should be Built
Village, CO 80111. A U.S. subscrip-
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www.BatteryPowerOnline.com September/October 2012 Battery Power 3

EDITORS CHOICE
Grid Storage Battery Cost to Fall to $500/kWh, Short for electric vehicles.
Of Expectations The UN Sub-Committees decisions will eliminate the need
Lithium-ion and molten-salt battery costs will approach for battery manufacturers to secure approvals from transporta-
$500/kWh by 2022, reducing the high capital cost of emerging tion authorities before shipping lithium batteries in large pack-
grid storage technologies. However, expectations of half that aging as defined in UNs Model Regulations. The regulations
level will remain unrealistic for at least a decade, according to imposing large packing instructions for lithium batteries will
Lux Research. take effect in January 2015.
Technology developers make bold claims about performance After numerous meetings and discussions, no consensus
enhancements and economies of scale that will lead to dramatic was reached on the PRBA-RECHARGE proposals for shipping
cost reductions. Lux Researchs baseline scenarios for grid-tied waste lithium batteries and damaged/defective lithium batteries.
systems indicate that by 2022 Li-Ion batteries will reach $506/ PRBA and RECHARGE will amend their proposals for con-
kWh; sodium nickel chloride, or ZEBRA, batteries will ap- sideration at the Sub-Committees next meeting scheduled for
proach $473/kWh; and vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) December 3 to 11, 2012. PRBA intends to file a proposal with
will hit $783/kWh. the Sub-Committee that will more clearly define the UN testing
Molten-salt batteries hold the most potential to be the requirements for these assemblies and provide an alternative to
cheapest large-scale systems, with manufacturing improve- the UN tests.
ments playing the largest role, accounting for 95 percent of the
cost reduction, said Brian Warshay, Lux Research associate GE to Expand Battery Start-Up in New Yorks
and the lead author of the report titled, Grid Storage Battery Capital Region
Cost Breakdown: Exploring Paths to Accelerate Adoption. GE will expand its new, advanced manufacturing battery
Li-Ion batteries are dependent on cost reductions from mass factory as part of the companys new Energy Storage busi-
production, while molten-salt batteries and VRFBs rely on long ness. The Durathon battery products, which are half the size of
discharge durations to reduce costs. conventional lead acid batteries but last 10 times longer, are the
To gain an understanding of the key cost components for result of GEs $100 million initial investment in battery technol-
each technology, Lux Research analysts built production cost ogy developed at GEs Global Research Center in Niskayuna,
models of Li-Ion, ZEBRA and VRFB systems for small- to NY. The technology will provide reliable and cost-effective en-
large-scale grid storage systems, and assessed drivers that will ergy storage options for a broad range of GE customers globally,
facilitate cost reduction and constraints to innovative material including telecom and utility operators.
and manufacturing approaches. Among their findings: GE will invest an additional $70 million to expand the Sche-
Cost of Li-Ion batteries will dip 45 percent by 2022. Li-Ion nectady plant, effectively doubling production and adding 100
batteries may lose market share to cheaper molten-salt batteries new jobs, which will bring the total factory workforce to 450
for large projects but will remain the system of choice for space- when at full capacity.
constrained projects because of their high energy density. GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said, Just a few years
ZEBRAs need productivity gains. ZEBRA battery manufac- ago, researchers in our labs invented a new battery, one that was
turing accounts for between 50 percent and 60 percent of the simple in its ingredients but advanced in its design and science,
total system costs, primarily because of the cost of processing containing more than 30 patents. It soon became obvious that we
its key raw materials. Improved manufacturing productivity werent just making a new battery; we were building a new busi-
and better capacity utilization will account for 95 percent of the ness, so GE teams went to work designing an advanced manufac-
expected reduction in costs by 2022 to $473/kWh. turing process to build the battery efficiently and a go-to-market
Vertical integration is key to VRFB costs. Vertical integration strategy to ensure it can reach customers where they work.
and exclusive supply agreements will be key to managing the The battery plant has received support from state and local
cost of vanadium pentoxide, a metal with a widely variable his- government in New York, where GE has done business for 130
torical market price and uncertain future. Future cost estimates years. New York State committed $15 million when the new
for vanadium pentoxide range from $15/kg to $30/kg, from the plant was announced in May 2009, and $5 million was commit-
current $13.20/kg. At the upper end of the range, VRFB cost ted by Schenectady Countys Metroplex Development Authority.
will actually increase to $1,205/kWh. The Durathon batteries are produced using abundantly avail-
able raw materials such as salt and nickel and are non-toxic
PRBA Battery Proposals Adopted by UN Transport and fully recyclable. The batteries can operate at temperatures
Sub-Committee ranging from -4F to 140F. The batteries have received GEs
PRBA, The Rechargeable Battery Association, announced ecomagination certification from a third party for their environ-
that the UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dan- mental and financial benefits.
gerous Goods unanimously approved two proposals on the pack- The new battery plant is about the size of four football fields.
aging requirements for large format lithium ion batteries filed by Its projected annual production capacity is approximately one
jointly by PRBA and its international counterpart, RECHARGE. Giga-watt hour (GWh), enough energy to power 1,000 typical
Large format lithium ion batteries are used as the power source American homes for one month.
4 Battery Power September/October 2012 www.BatteryPowerOnline.com

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FEATURE
The Use of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Michael A. Stout, Vice President Engineering generate enough heat to ignite the internal lithium. Once ignited,
Falcon Electric, Inc. the remaining batteries in a shipping carton or on a pallet will
ignite. The lithium fire would then burn at a high enough tem-
Being in the UPS industry, Falcon Electric, Inc. is frequently perature to burn through an aircrafts aluminum fuselage. Further,
asked why the industry hasnt adopted the use of Lithium-ion most standard fire extinguishers or aircraft fire systems are use-
(Li-Ion) batteries inside more products. Li-Ion batteries have less against a lithium fire due to its high burning temperature.
a much higher energy density allowing them to be smaller and Secondary batteries have a differing chemistry and are de-
weigh less than half of an equivalent Valve Regulated Sealed fined as being rechargeable. They are usually shipped from their
Lead-Acid (VRLA) battery currently used in UPS systems. Li- manufacturer partially charged in an attempt to keep the energy
Ion batteries (Figure 1) provide much longer on-battery runtimes density as low as possible during transportation. The DOT and
and can be recharged faster than their VRLA counterparts. UN regulations divide secondary batteries into two basic catego-
Unfortunately, high energy density Li-Ion battery packs have a ries, which are defined by the level of energy density contained
number of issues that preclude them from being used in the typi- inside the individual cells or batteries. The batteries used inside
cal commercial off-the-shelf UPSs. At the present time, with few cell phones, computers and power tools typically fall into the
exceptions, their use is limited to custom UPS products specifi- lower energy density category and have much fewer transporta-
cally designed for highly specialized applications. tion limitations; hence why they are allowed to fly on commer-
cial airliners with passengers.
The batteries used in a typical UPS must be capable of
supplying the high current demand of the UPS for a sustained
period of time. The period of time may be from a few min-
utes to several hours, depending on the application. For many
decades, the lead-acid battery (Figure 2) has met this demand.
Its capability to supply the high current demands of the UPS is
very good. However, its energy density to weight ratio leaves a
lot to be desired. High power UPS systems capable of provid-
ing several hours of battery backup can have lead-acid battery
banks weighing tons. The energy density of a lead-acid battery
ranges from 30 to 50
Watt/Hours per Kg,
while it is 110 to 160
Figure 1. Lithium-polymer battery system containing a Watt/Hours per Kg for
Battery Management System (BMS), a charger and a Li-Ion chemistry bat-
large number of lithium-polymer cells.
teries. This represents
a weight reduction
With the large number of cell phones, computers and power of two to three times
tools now being sold with rechargeable Li-Ion batteries, it may that of an equivalent
seem a bit odd that their use inside a UPS would be a problem. lead-acid battery. This
The primary issues are cost, safety and federal regulations. Due makes Li-Ion batteries
to Li-Ion battery chemistries having differing levels of danger, viable for use in elec-
the Department of Transportation (DOT) (in CFR 49, Sections tric vehicles as well Figure 2. Valve-regulated lead-acid
(VRLA) battery
100 to 185) have divided the level of regulation based on pri- as UPS products.
mary and secondary battery types. Regulations are also based on Unfortunately, all
levels of energy density. Other applicable regulations are United shipments of UPS
Nations UN3090 & UN3091. units containing high energy density Li-Ion batteries, battery
A primary battery is defined as one that is shipped fully banks or batteries packaged inside a UPS must be shipped as
charged and cannot be recharged. Due to their chemistry and class 9 hazardous materials and cannot be shipped on com-
high level of charge available when shipped, Li-Ion batteries are mercial airliners. They must ship by ground cargo only. This
considered the most dangerous. The crash of a freight carriers becomes very impractical and drives the costs associated with
aircraft was recently suspected to be caused by a large number of the incorporation of lithium batteries up even further.
lithium primary batteries that were onboard. According to reports, There are substantial additional costs associated with the
the lithium primary batteries were not declared as hazardous implementation of Li-Ion batteries in a UPS. First, there is the
materials. If lithium primary batteries become internally shorted, cost differential between lead-acid and Li-Ion batteries. Good
due to their high amount of stored energy and chemistry, they can quality Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) VRLA batteries are very

FEATURE
inexpensive and readily available. Their low cost is one of the can become even more costly due to the dangers associated with
reasons UPS manufacturers use them in their products. A typi- handling high-capacity Li-Ion batteries. They typically must be
cal 12 volt, 7 Ah VRLA battery designed to provide a five-year replaced by trained factory personnel, requiring the entire UPS
service life costs UPS manufacturers about $9.00. The same 12 to be returned to the manufacturer.
volt Lithium-Phosphate battery costs more than $100, ten times Federal regulations also dictate that all equipment containing
the price. If a typical 6 kVA on-line UPS had a 240 VDC battery high lithium content batteries be subjected to rigorous testing
bus voltage, it would require 20 individual 12 VDC batteries to prior to any equipment being shipped. The test plan requires
be installed. The cost to the manufacturer for lead-acid batter- UPSs to be subjected to worst case tests. These tests are de-
ies maybe as low as $180, while the cost for equivalent Li-Ion signed to assure the UPS has protections designed-in to protect
batteries would be $2,000. This example is very conservative. A the lithium batteries and assure proper safeguards are function-
custom lithium-battery system for the same 6 kVA UPS might ing to prevent a fire during transportation. A second tier of
cost more than $10,000. testing is performed with the UPS packaged inside its shipping
However, the cost of the Li-Ion batteries alone is not the total carton including all associated packing materials. These tests
cost associated with proper implementation. In order to meet include vibration, shock and drop testing. All test results are
UN and DOT transportation regulations, one needs to incorpo- reviewed and if deemed acceptable, signed off by a DOT inspec-
rate adequate over-current protection and properly recharge the tor. After receiving this approval all equipment shipments must
Li-Ion batteries. A specialized intelligent battery management be shipped at Class 9 Hazardous Materials and clearly identified
system (BMS) must be incorporated into the UPS design. The as containing lithium batteries. Handling instructions must be
BMS typically consists of a circuit board assembly or assem- placed on the outside of the shipping container along with the
blies containing microprocessor battery monitoring, battery pro- telephone number that can be contacted in case of an emergency.
tection, recharge control and battery cell equalization circuits. The staff of both the shipper and recipient shipping departments
The primary function of the BMS is battery short circuit must be properly trained in the handling of hazardous materi-
protection. Lithium cells have a very low cell resistance and a als and lithium batteries. The proper fire suppressant equipment
high energy storage capacity. A short circuited string of cells or must also be in place.
batteries could be catastrophic and result in an explosion or very Lithium-Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery technology offers
high temperature lithium fire. A typical BMS processor monitors the UPS manufacturer the best hope. The technology appears
the battery current and has a large semiconductor switch circuit to be one of the safest lithium battery chemistries due to its
that can be opened to prevent an excessive over-current condi- improved thermal and chemical stability. It is much more
tion. The second function of the BMS is to assure the proper difficult to ignite a Lithium-phosphate battery in the event of
recharging of the lithium cells. Cells can receive an initial mishandling. They have a better cycle life than other Lithium-
high-rate charge current to reduce recharge time, followed by ion chemistries and are more recyclable. Recycled phosphate
a long cell equalization charger to balance the cell voltages to can be used as fertilizer. Further, there is presently one manu-
within a few millivolts. The equalization charge is followed by facturer of Lithium-phosphate batteries that has designed their
the charge voltage being turned off to prevent cell overcharg- batteries with internal fusing, eliminating the need for BMS
ing and possible cell damage. The BMS also monitors to assure protection circuits. Due to this they have received a waiver
the charger voltage does not run away to the point of causing from the DOT and can ship the batteries without a Class 9
the cells to overheat and catch fire. The cost of the BMS board hazardous materials declaration. However, only four 12 volt
is substantial and has to be added to the cost of the Lithium-ion batteries may be connected in series without a BMS to provide
batteries and UPS. As the UPS market is very competitive, these equalization. Due to the characteristics of Lithium-Phosphate
added costs would price most UPS products out of most markets type batteries, the VRLA battery chargers found in some UPS
except military and specialized scientific applications. The cost designs can be used without modification.
of adding a BMS board to a UPS can range from $100 to more At the present time, the costs, shipping and safety issues
than $1,000. associated with the proper implementation of high-capacity
To assure continuous protection of the batteries, the BMS Li-Ion batteries precludes their use in the majority of UPSs
must be powered and monitor the batteries continuously whether and only viable in vertical markets willing to pay the extra
the UPS is turned on, turned off, during shipment and storage. costs associated with Li-Ion batteries. Currently this consists
This presents storage and non-use issues. Li-Ion batteries have a of the military and a limited number of scientific markets. The
very low self-discharge rate. However, when the UPS is not be- Li-Ion batterys high power density and associated reduction in
ing powered from utility power, the BMS must be powered from battery pack size and weight are paramount to the higher costs
the batteries it is protecting. This accelerates the discharge rate, associated with the UPS.
requiring the batteries be recharged far more frequently. With
some BMS designs, recharging occurs every few months even For more information, please visit
while in storage. Like lead-acid batteries, should Li-Ion batteries Falcon Electric, Inc. at www.falconups.com.
be allowed to become too discharged, they can suffer internal
damage, requiring their costly replacement. Their replacement

Meet Some of the Speakers
Vishal Sapru James Jackson Robin Tichy Kevin L. Gering Kevin See John Jung
Frost & Sullivan Siemens Electrochem Idaho National Lux Research, Inc. Greensmith
Solutions, Inc. Laboratory
Co-Located Conferences
Battery Power 2012 will be co-located with Advancements in Thermal Management

2012, Remote Monitoring & Control 2012 and Mobile Antenna Systems 2012.
Attendees of either event have access to the combined exhibit hall, networking
functions and luncheons.
For an upgrade fee of $300, attendees have access to all four co-located
conference programs.
FEATURE
Monitor Your Battery Cells for Superior Reliability
Chris Kaundart, Tech Writer What if your critical backup batteries are all discharged and
DPS Telecom power fails at a site? This is a far too common disaster because
many companies dont take their backup power seriously, even
Do you know the status of your remote site battery plants? if they think they do. With a battery monitor in place, you
Would you know if one individual cell was falling out of its would have known your batteries were discharging long before
ideal voltage or temperature range? At a lot of companies, bat- it became an issue. You might, for example, have dispatched a
tery cell monitoring is a commonly overlooked opportunity to portable generator that you might not have previously. These
reduce costs and improve reliability. kinds of simple outages and headaches arent hard to prevent;
This creates a huge problem. If youve ever had battery fail- the key is knowing theres a problem.
ures in the past, you know just how painful they can be. A single
bad cell can dramatically affect an entire string of batteries if you 2. Detect Problems with Individual Bad Cells
dont catch it early. An entire site could easily go dark if your Since a single bad battery cell can dramatically degrade the
batteries arent working properly or become fully discharged. performance of an entire string of batteries, its critical to deploy
Unfortunately, monitoring batteries isnt always as simple a thorough battery monitoring system. Monitoring the entire
as slapping a single voltage monitor on each string. To really string is better than no monitoring at all, but its not the most
understand the big picture, you need to understand a lot of little effective way to improve reliability.
pictures of cell voltage and temperature. A good battery monitor will have sensors to monitor each of
Monitoring your battery power doesnt have to be a hassle. cells individually, looking not just for low voltages but a differ-
Just follow this guide to learn more about effective battery volt- ence between the cells and the average of all the cells.
age monitoring.
3. Avoid Complete Battery Discharges
Your batteries wont be very useful if theyre completely
drained. Whats worse is that a drained string can, in some
cases, delay or prevent the site from coming back up even after
power has been restored. With a monitoring device in place,
you can set thresholds for notification. This means if the battery
power drops below a certain percentage, youll receive a notifi-
cation and can quickly respond.
Lets face it, batteries are a part of your safety net and nothing
is worse than a false sense of security. If your primary power
goes down, thats precisely when youll need your batteries the
most. If your units are drained or otherwise impaired, then your
site will go completely dark long before they should; meaning
the critical network gear both you and your customers rely on
will be down. Had you known that your backup batteries were
low, you could have ensured they werent completely discharged.
Monitor the health of individual battery cells
to improve the reliability of your batteries. 4. Monitor Temperature Issues
Its not enough to only monitor voltage. Battery cells can get
The Four Primary Benefits of Monitoring abnormally hot when they are failing, so including temperature
Your Batteries monitoring can help detect battery issues long before they can
Leaving your battery cells unmonitored opens the door for cause serious issues. Early notification gives the time needed to
far too many problems that are easily avoidable. Here are four respond to problems in a controlled manner. Including tem-
of the main benefits youll see when you deploy your own bat- perature monitoring with voltage monitoring is the only way to
tery monitoring system: thoroughly and completely monitor your battery cells.
1. Prevent Outages The 11 Features of a Quality Battery Voltage Monitor

The first and biggest benefit of battery monitoring is the abil- A battery voltage monitor wont be truly effective without
ity to prevent many power-related outages. When your battery the right features. Its far too common for a vendor to skimp
cells are left unmonitored, youre in the dark and constantly on hardware/software features and cut corners to reduce costs,
guessing about their status. Creating a reliable network requires only to leave out the critical features needed for a truly effective
continuous network monitoring, otherwise a small issue can monitoring system.
quickly turn into a serious problem.

A battery voltage monitoring system will
be able to monitor your critical backup
power supplies.
A limited and poorly designed battery monitor will end up

costing you big in the long-run. You think youre saving money
until your network goes down because the battery voltage moni-
tor wasnt up for the job. Dont settle for inadequate monitoring;
make sure the battery monitor has these 11 must-have features.
1. Adequate Capacity
Some battery voltage monitoring systems dont support the
capacity to handle large quantities of battery cells. Its abso-
lutely essential that you have the full support to monitor each
battery cell, otherwise youll find yourself vulnerable to the
weakest link in the battery string. Most critical sites will have
A/B power battery systems. Look for a single device that is
capable of monitoring both strings of batteries. Not all strings
are created equal; make sure the solution can monitor a 125
VDC string.
2. SNMP Support
What good is a battery voltage monitor if it has no way of
reporting problems to you? With a device that supports SNMP,
youll be able to receive SNMP traps to a central NOC or master
station to notify you if theres an issue with the batteries. This
means you can easily bring battery monitoring under the SNMP
monitoring umbrella. Notifications are the key to preventing
outages caused by issues with the batteries.
3. 24/7 Notifications
When it comes to monitoring batteries, and therefore protect-
ing your uptime, you want true flexibility. Having the capabil-
ity to receive 24/7 notifications (via SMS text message, email,
voice alerts, etc.) about the status of your batteries can be the
difference between an outage and keeping power to your gear.
Even if you have a 24/7 NOC (network operations center),
receiving on-the-fly and mobile notifications can provide an
edge in avoiding preventable outages. Look for a battery moni-
tor that can send alerts via emails, SMS text messages, paging,
etc. With flexible alerts that can notify you out of the office, you
can be assured you wont be left in the dark.

FEATURE
4. Continuous Voltage Reading device and within the network management system (NMS). In
Battery voltage monitoring equipment needs to provide con- case not all staff have access to the NMS, they will still have
tinuous voltage readings. Without regular monitoring or at least local access to the history data.
control over the sampling rate, a problem can linger for too long
before youre notified.
Thats why sampling batteries at too long of intervals can be
problematic. Battery cells can easily become fully discharged
between lengthy interval readings, which means the risk losing
power at your sites and not have any idea until the entire site
suddenly goes dark. With real-time monitoring and customiz-
able interval samples, you can be assured to know about these
Daisy chaining battery cells together is an easy
kinds of emergencies before they bring down mission-critical and simple way to manage your battery
network equipment. voltage sensors.
5. Accurate Voltage Measurement 9. Daisy-Chainable

If the battery voltage monitor cant accurately measure You dont want sites to be a messy pile of cables and you
voltage and temperature, then you may as well have no monitor- certainly dont want a device that is needlessly complicated to
ing at all. An effective battery monitor will be able to provide set up. Having battery voltage sensors that are daisy-chainable
accurate readings within 1 percent of the actual value. With an makes setup easy and clean. Just string the sensors along from
accurate battery monitor, you can be assured to truly know the each other, rather than running long cables from the battery
status of the batteries. monitor to each individual sensor.
Daisy chaining sensors improves accuracy, is a setup time-
6. Integrated Alarm Monitoring saver and transmits data digitally. You can also keep high cur-
Support for an integrated RTU (remote telemetry unit) can rent away from places you dont want it. Daisy chaining is the
provide additional value from the same rack unit of space. An easiest and best way to simplify monitoring setup.
RTU can collect environmental alarms (about temperature, hu-
midity, smoke, power, etc.) and monitor critical network equip- 10. Flexible Battery Support
ment at remote sites and report these alarms back to you. This Youll want a battery monitor to have the ability to work with
means you can monitor additional pieces of equipment from the different battery types and voltages. All batteries are not the
same device thats monitoring the battery cells. same, they have different orientations, connectors and different
Having integrated alarm monitoring means you can get even voltage ranges. For instance, you might have a standard string of
more ROI from the battery voltage monitor. You can monitor batteries or a string with four 12 V cells and propriety connec-
other pieces of gear and environmental conditions to improve tors. You need a battery monitoring system that is very adaptable.
service reliability at the remote sites. You can enjoy the peace
of mind knowing that youre fully monitoring all of the condi- 11. Local Voltage Isolation
tions at the sites to avoid preventable outages. You have to have sensors that isolate voltage locally. This
allows for more accurate battery readings and creates a safer
7. Web Interface environment. Keeping the voltage reading local then transmit-
A device with a Web interface will present you with powerful ting a digital signal back to headquarters equals having accurate
network management tools. Instead of driving all the way out to cell readings and you dont have to deal with the hazards of
a site to configure or manage a device, you can do it right from transporting battery voltage.
your desk. This can save on fuel costs and expensive man hours.
You may be a large company with an enterprise-grade SNMP Adequately Protecting Uptime
manager, but a Web interface lets you drill down when you need Monitoring battery cells doesnt have to be a struggle. Add-
to. An intuitive and easy-to-use Web interface is head-and-shoul- ing a battery voltage monitor to a network is a simple solution
ders above any other method to manage battery monitoring. that can provide you with some serious value. Youll be able to
save time and money, not to mention greatly improve the reli-
8. Historical Trending ability of the network.
A battery monitor with an analog logging feature will allow
you to graph historical trends of the battery monitoring data from For more information, please contact
the Web page. With graphical data, youll be able to analyze bat- DPS Telecom at www.dpstele.com.
tery voltage information and observe patterns with the batteries.
Or, if you ever need to reference past data about the battery volt-
age, youll have the historical graphs at your disposal.
You want this historical data stored both locally on the

Juicing Up the Battery
Cutting Edge Research Delivers Battery Enhancements
Anu Cherian, Senior Industry Analyst in a number of applications has driven the market to maturity
Frost & Sullivan and intense price competition has made it a commodity product.
There are certain niche end user segments that always are ahead
The battery market is currently entrenched with several of the game and a commodity product is just not their forte. For
chemistries. Five decades ago, the lead acid battery was consid- example, the military is always a first responder to any cutting
ered the most versatile, with manufacturers using it for nearly all edge technology. The Army has invested in the development of
applications that needed energy storage. The advantages of long- in-house technology that is proprietary to their use. The military
standing nickel metal hydride (NiMH) were later realized, as is a key end user segment that always provides the initial impetus
it was replacing a very niche segment of the lead acid batterys towards the launch and commercialization of their technology.
applications. Alongside the NiMH was the nickel cadmium Soldiers already carry immense weight on their backs for
(NiCd), which was gradually slowing down as its counterpart basic necessities including food, first aid, as well as communi-
gained momentum due to its lighter weight and versatility of cation equipment, weapons and ammunition. Communication
use. However, the pace of development of the consumer elec- equipment require batteries as well as back-up batteries, all of
tronics markets were rapidly changing and even the NiMH bat- which need to recharge quickly. These factors have triggered
tery could not satisfy power requirements of new applications. It the need for an increase in lighter weight systems and more
was then that the years of research on lithium batteries paid off. energy density of the batteries themselves.
It became the appropriate fit for new electronic applications. The
main requirements were governed by a much smaller form fac- Army Scientists and Their Cutting Edge Work
tor and the lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery delivered just as much, if Scientists are looking for technology that needs to be easily
not more, power in a smaller architecture. available in addition to satisfying the power needs of the ap-
The well known characteristics of the lead acid battery are plications in play. For example, in radios used by soldiers, the
high energy density, low cost, easy availability and versatility time duration of the battery charge, recharge time, as well as the
of operation. However, the primary reason for the significant level of degradation over extensive use are important factors
growth of the lead acid battery was the ubiquity of its compo- that require significant evaluation prior to use. With all of this in
nent materials. Easy availability and market competition spurred mind, the military has funded millions of dollars toward battery
this technology forward. From an end-user standpoint, lead acid research. They have focused on intensifying the voltage per cell,
was well known in the every corner of the world. The term bat- thereby increasing the overall energy density of the system. Fur-
tery was synchronous with the lead acid chemistry. Hence, its thermore, additional research is being conducted on the use of
success was attributed to its early entry into the market and its ubiquitous materials that enable the soldier to carry the battery
low cost that made it easy for the common person to purchase easily in rough terrain. Ongoing research into this area began
and use it. almost five years ago and is estimated to be about a year away
from production and mass deployment to soldiers.
Battery Markets In everyday life, batteries may not seem to be particularly
The energy storage and battery chemistry markets are cur- heavy or obtrusive. But to provide a better picture of a soldiers
rently worth billions of dollars. With the advent of Li-Ion, there load, battery weight constitutes nearly 20 percent of the weight
has been a complementary revolution with mobile power tech- carried by a soldier. This is an average of 70 batteries per sol-
nology in cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). dier, or about 50 to 70 pounds. Even a reduction of five pounds
Mobile, on-the-go power has driven several generations of tech- would be a huge step, although scientists are proposing reduc-
nology driven concepts. Beginning with Apples iPod, iPhone tions by 20 pounds per soldier.
and iPad, competition has picked up and the number of competi- R&D has not been able to increase the energy density dra-
tors in this field has driven the application markets into billions matically. Current progress is only at a rate of about 1 percent
of dollars. However, as is the case every year, the smallest and per year. Scientists are therefore trying to understand ways of
lightest weight device is just not sufficient enough, resulting in a tweaking the energy density of cells by increasing the voltage
push for another device that is smaller and lighter than the previ- inside a single cell. Understanding micro level characteristics
ous generation. of the cell, its functioning and means to increase voltage are
expected to create the necessary rectification to technology that
A Key End User Market can push it further into the market. While taking an internal look
Increase in the performance of battery chemistries is es- at battery technologies, the voltage per cell has been at a nomi-
sential for its application base to expand. The use of lead acid nal 4 volts (V) in the Li-Ion battery chemistry. Army scientists
are now recognizing means to increase the single cell voltage.

FEATURE
Even an increase within each cell by 1 V, making it 5 V, would researchers, is the key. These are materials that military research
be considered a giant leap in the world of battery research. continues to fund so that it can be a forerunner in the space to
These scientists have been able to accomplish this by using dif- test out new tweaks to the Li-Ion battery. Although this material
ferent kinds of materials in order to kick start the baseline cell is currently proprietary, there are a number of research laborato-
voltage. The correlation between such an increase in cell voltage ries that continue to pursue research based on a nanoscale level.
and energy density is remarkable. They have reported that it has It is not uncommon to use highly reactive dopants into the
caused an increase of 30 percent in the energy density of a single electrode materials to enhance the life of the energy storage
cell. Such a magnitude of change has the industry awestruck at system in total. Examples range from the use of polymer materi-
the cutting edge research that is proving to be useful to minimize als to metal oxide infiltrates that increase the surface area in
battery related weight to the soldier. addition to increasing the energy density. These are just a few
examples of various options that were considered by commer-
Where Does This Power Go? cial research organizations.
In addition to reducing the weight of soldiers backpacks,
it also provides auxiliary power to necessary systems. In many Indigenous Materials Research
cases, these systems range from additional power for on-board Materials that are familiar and currently in use are not keep-
vehicles or even power for unmanned air and ground vehicles. ing up with increasingly sophisticated end user demand. Hence,
Power availability in these cases is uncertain and in the event there is a great deal of effort in driving innovations in materials
of an emergency, the option to use the battery reserve power research. Some of the parameters to base this work on are envi-
carried by the soldier would be life saving for an entire team sioned in the use of indigenous materials. If they can be freely
present in a war zone. found and common in any part of the world, this provides a
greater flexibility for the soldier who is typically treading across
How is it Achieved? mostly unknown territory.
Scientists are planning on achieving auxiliary power goals by In May 2012, the Army released information and pictures re-
using the Li-Ion battery as the base material. However, infiltra- lating to this new battery system with half the footprint and half
tion with the right kind of additives, not yet released by Army the weight of existing systems without a reduction in the basic
parameters of operation of the battery. It is now half the size of
the traditionally used BA5590 battery. It is designed for compat-
ibility with existing electronic devices as well as potential future
inventions in electronics that could aid the soldier.
The material currently being extensively researched is a
lithium carbon-monoflouride battery. The battery is expected to
be deployed within a year and in a couple of years will also be
available for commercial production.
Availability of materials is the key factor while performing
such research and the Army continues to diligently pursue mean-
ingful analysis that has long term viability in the market. The
US military has been the pioneer in delivering enduring solu-
tions that, when commercialized, have caused significant leaps
in technological advancements.
Ease of Use and Flexibility

A common characteristic that brings familiarity in the world
of energy storage and, specifically, batteries is the rigidity
of construction. This has mostly been due to the fact that the
electrodes encompassing an electrolyte, either in liquid or gel
form, have been tightly contained only within an air tight box.
However, ongoing research is taking it a step further in devis-
ing ways and means to present a flexible material form of the
battery that the soldier can easily wear. In military jargon it is
called the polymer conformal battery. It fits the soldiers body
rather than protruding at different spots, making it difficult for
the individual to maneuver through tight spaces.
The total design is termed Solider Wearable Integrated Power
System, or SWIPES. It supplies a centralized battery power at
multiple nodes to energize different items. With a very smart

design in place, the SWIPES won placement on the US Army is moving forward rapidly and new technologies are gradually
Greatest Inventions of 2010 list. Such cutting edge research is coming onto the main stage as end users are becoming aware of
expected to further enhance the design and the implementation the various options existing in the market. With design innova-
of the battery with an architecture that was only a fragment of tions and technology tweaks such as the one by the Army, there
ones imagination in the past. is great excitement in the world of energy storage technologies
on the unimaginable possibilities for battery technology and its
Other Market Possibilities evolution.
When this technology becomes available for commercializa-
tion, there are numerous possibilities for applications for the For more information, please contact Frost & Sullivan at
enhanced battery. When the form factor of the battery can be www.frost.com.
made to fit onto clothes of a soldier, the applica-
tion base in the commercial world could expand
in leaps and bounds. It could be used in athletic
gear to monitor the rate of use of energy in the
body for fitness purposes. Another great applica-
tion area would be for mountaineering purposes.
As mountaineers require emergency power
availability in case they are stranded in a storm
HIGH TECH.
or adverse climatic conditions, they require basic
necessities such as a torch for light, water puri-
fication, battery run communication equipment,
among others. The biggest advantage would be a
HIGH PRAISE.
versatile battery that can be used at low tempera-
tures. Temperatures in mountaineering signifi-
cantly decrease as the altitude of the explorer
HIRING NOW.
increases. Trekking, biking, car and bike racing,
and a plethora of areas in sports could change
radically in the event of a moldable battery that
becomes available for commercial use.
Other possible uses for malleable and higher
energy dense batteries are in the world of con-
sumer electronics where the size of laptops could Mid-Continent Instrument Company, a leading manufacturer
be further reduced if the battery material could of acclaimed aircraft instruments, avionics and power supplies
be made to encompass the basic framework of is taking aviation to new heights. The companys True Blue
the laptop design. Power division is harnessing the power of Nanophosphate
lithium-ion cell technology to design the next generation
The Future: Unimaginable Possibilities of aircraft power solutions. Interested?
For Energy Storage
The need for increasing energy density is
Join the challenge. Join our team.
driving technological innovation in the energy
storage market. From the dissatisfaction with
lead acid batteries, to the innovation of new
Were hiring Electrical Engineers Battery Systems
alternatives such as ultracapacitors and fuel
Electrical Engineers Power Electronics
cells, there is an increased push to enable these Mechanical Engineers
technologies to move forward in the market. Certification Engineers
Advancements in each competing technology
Are You an A, B or C?
Learn more
Your subscription to Battery Power magazine mcico.com
may be about to expire. Check your status in the Download the free mobile app
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Subscribe online at www.BatteryPowerOnline.com.

FEATURE
PEM Fuel Cell Systems Reliable Backup Power Source for
Remote or Extended Run Power Outages
Kathy Fosberg dont always work effectively. A battery string can be expected
IdaTech to provide anywhere from one to four hours of backup power,
but battery functionality can be impacted by age, temperature,
In todays world, on-demand communications is needed deterioration of charge during down time and corrosion.
24/7/365, businesses, individuals, emergency systems and gov- In addition, there are environmental problems with the
ernments rely on their instant access to voice, data and/or video disposal of batteries. A diesel or propane generator, on its own
through their wireless devices to be able to function effectively. or in combination with batteries, provides longer backup. A
In order to provide customers with instant communications generators run time is based on how much fuel is available
anywhere in the world, wireless telecom companies have to con- for the generator and how much power is needed to replace the
struct and maintain cell phone towers, radio relay stations, etc., electricity lost from the grid outage. The problem with genera-
at times in remote areas where the grid reliability is marginal. tors is that they are noisy, produce noxious emissions and since
Despite grid outages, telecommunications engineers they have several moving parts, need a lot of maintenance,
must keep these sites operating without interruption to retain repair and lubrication.
customer loyalty and avoid the high cost and potentially life- In recent years, an alternative to the traditional backup
threatening situations that would arise from a wireless commu- electric power for telecom installations has become commer-
nications failure. cially available. It is the fuel cell. A fuel cell produces electricity
In anticipation of grid outages, most wireless telecom sites through an electrochemical reaction. The science behind fuel
have backup power systems, traditionally consisting of valve- cells is not new. It was discovered by Welsh lawyer-turned-
regulated lead acid (VRLA) battery strings and/or gensets. scientist William Robert Grove in 1838, but it wasnt until the
These traditional solutions arent always appropriate for mid 20th Century that the design and building of fuel cells with
sites requiring extended run times (days vs. hours), and they commercial potential was explored.
The type of fuel cell commercially available today and most
appropriate for use with wireless telecommunications sites is
the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. These fuel
cells are compact, durable, reliable, quiet and operate at peak
efficiency in a wide range of climates (-40C to 50C) and
adverse weather conditions. In addition, they have few moving
parts (thus needing minimal maintenance), come in sizes rang-
ing from 250 W to 250 kW, can readily adjust their electronic
output to meet
shifting power
demands and of-
fer a high energy
density. Also,
fuel cells are fast
starting and can
begin deliver-
ing electricity
within seconds of
activation.
The typical
run time for one
of todays fuel cells operating on six bottles of hydrogen (one
bottle = 1 T-cylinder) is 10 hours at 5 kW of output power. For
longer run times, additional bottles of hydrogen can be hot-
swapped into the hydrogen storage cabinet. However, there can
be limitations as to how much extended backup run time can be
achieved by hot swapping bottles of hydrogen. The extended
backup run time can be limited by the amount of space for stor-

age of additional bottles of hydrogen at a fuel cell installation electricity
and/or the remoteness of a fuel cell installation, which makes during power
hot swapping unfeasible. outages, and
There is a new technology that has already been successfully yields imme-
deployed commercially and can extend fuel cell backup runtime diate savings
not by hours, but by days. It is called a fuel processor. in footprint,
A fuel processor uses a liquid fuel to make hydrogen on site weight, regula-
and on demand. Fuel processing is the act of converting hydro- tory setbacks
gen rich fuels into pure hydrogen gas as needed, then feeding (clear space
the pure hydrogen directly into a fuel cell stack. IdaTech has requirements),
developed fuel processors for a variety of common fuels includ- simplified refueling and, most importantly, extended run times.
ing methanol, a liquid found in windshield washer fluid and It takes one 59-gallon fuel tank of methanol/water fuel with
many other common products. Again, fuel cell systems with liq- a fuel reformer to produce 40 hours of 5 kW output power vs.
uid fuel processors can provide backup power for days instead 24 T-cylinders of hydrogen to produce the same amount of
of a few hours by using energy dense liquid fuel. output power. The fuel tank and reformer create a 72 percent re-
IdaTech sells complete fuel cell systems with integrated fuel duction in footprint and 67 percent reduction in weight over the
reformer and fuel tank. When the grid power fails at a wireless amount of bottled hydrogen (and number of hot swaps needed)
telecom site, a small battery string takes over the sites load for to produce the same 5 kW power output.
a couple of minutes while the fuel reformer starts up, produces The commercially available fuel cell with an integrated fuel
hydrogen, and then the fuel cell begins powering the sites load. reformer and supply of HydroPlus methanol/water fuel is an
The system is powered by HydroPlus liquid fuel, a mix of increasingly popular, highly reliable and cost-effective backup
water and methanol (62 percent by weight methanol). The fuel power source for remote and/or extended run power outages for
reformer is highly efficient, recycling the waste heat from the the telecom industry.
fuel reforming process and directing it back to the reformers
combustion chamber where the waste heat takes over as the heat For more information, please contact IdaTech at
supply to vaporize the liquid methanol/water fuel. www.idatech.com.
This system solves the problem of needed onsite on-demand

FEATURE
Why Your Next Renewable System Should be Built
Around Energy Storage
Mark Cerasuolo, Senior Marketing Manager Grid-Tied and Grid-Interactive Systems -
OutBack Power The Similarities
For an analysis of the differences between grid-tied and grid-
In the renewable energy industry, there has been much interactive systems, one must first examine what both have in
discussion about how to convert variable resources such as common. Both types of systems deliver several similar benefits.
wind and solar into consistent and continuous energy similar to Lower Bills: Grid-tied and grid-interactive systems save
the electricity consumers are accustomed to enjoying from the users money on utility bills in several ways. First, they simply
utility. Meanwhile, more frequent instances of extreme weather use less grid-produced electricity. Second, during times of
such as tsunamis, heat waves, hurricanes and ice storms are strong sunlight and relatively light load demand, surplus energy
causing sustained blackouts and giving residents and businesses can be sold back to the utility in many states and localities. Net
pause: what if the grid isnt as reliable as we once assumed? Or metering means that an owner can run the meter backwards and
consider another possibility: systems designed around installa- potentially save a home or small business up to thousands of
tion and production incentives such as net metering (running the dollars during the life of the system. Some states have a cap, but
meter backwards and selling back to the utility) can have their between geographical amounts of sunlight, incentives and elec-
entire economic rationale altered if those incentives change, and tricity costs, solar users stand to shave a big chunk off their bills.
policies invariably do change. Better Resell Value: According to recent statistics, solar
Finally, consider the fact that a grid-tied PV system is always energy system owners can see a potential return of 97 percent of
offline at night, but if surplus energy generated during the day- their investment when its time to put their homes on the market.
time can be stored, it can be used at night when electricity costs This is higher than any other home improvements or amenities,
may be at their peak. These independent but related concerns, and its important to
grid stability, renewable system economic viability and consis- keep in mind this is
tency, create opportunity for renewable energy systems that can on top of the money
thrive when paired with an energy storage system to provide owners save by reduc-
electricity during power interruptions and peak use times. ing their energy bills
Originally, many solar installations were off-grid entirely, and taking advantage
with users getting all their energy from solar panels, perhaps of net metering. Addi-
with a diesel generator and battery system for backup power. tionally, a US Depart-
These consumers stayed completely off the grid, often because ment of Energy study
they were located in remote areas where its too expensive for showed that homes
a utility to build energy infrastructure. This off-grid technology equipped with solar
wasnt feasible for all geographies or appropriate for all needs, energy systems are on
which is why grid-tied systems came into the mainstream. To- Photo courtesy of SolTerra the market for half the
day, most commercial and residential solar system users in the time, even when you
developed world use technology thats grid-tied where the utility factor in challenging
acts as energy storage, supplying power as needed when the housing markets. If homeowners want the flexibility to move to
installation isnt producing enough electricity due to a week of the next property, grid-tied and grid-interactive systems are both
cloudy days or other disruptions in maximum solar exposure. attractive investments.
Developments in technology now offer a system choice Decreased Carbon Footprint: After installing weather
beyond black and white, either tied to the grid or completely sealing or efficient lighting, solar power can be the lowest-
independent of it. Hybrids called grid-interactive photovoltaic hanging fruit toward attaining a greener lifestyle. Unlike wind
(PV) systems offer more of the best of both worlds: grid-tied turbines and micro-hydro installations, solar does not have
economics when the grids available or cost-effective, and prerequisites such as regular breezes or a running stream on
off-grid independence when its not. Grid-interactive systems the owners property. Sunlight is accessible to everyone. Solar
are based on grid-tied technology, and once they are combined power also has zero impact on the environment as a solid-state,
with proven energy storage technology, the comparable payback low-impact energy source with no moving parts compared to the
expectations and greater capabilities will drive higher adoption other methods, it requires no transmission paths past the roof
levels in the industry. While grid-interactive PV systems offer and it is used at the point of generation.
users increased flexibility and reliability in installations, they Incentives: Both grid-interactive and grid-tied systems
are not so different from the grid-tied systems integrators most make their owners money by qualifying them for production
frequently recommend. credits. Depending on the state, incentives pay owners per

kilowatt-hour for producing electricity, even when the system In contrast, grid-interactive PV systems use bi-directional
owner consumes that electricity. Production credits vary by state energy transfer capability and smarter electronics to tie into the
and also by local utility, but they are a large contributor to the local energy utility when it most benefits users and be more in-
eventual payback for a renewable energy system. dependent when it does not. During emergencies when the grids
down, the interactive
Grid-Tied and Grid-Interactive Power - Where system switches to
They Differ stored power in batter-
The main difference between the two system options is not ies and uses the panels
what happens when the local power grid is operating normally, to help keep them
but what happens when the power is out, fluctuating or more charged. During nor-
expensive. Blackouts and brownouts that can damage equip- mal times when the
ment are occurring with increased frequency in many parts of user wants to lower
the country, and so-called storms of the century are regularly his energy costs and
in the headlines these days. This year started off with news of consumption, he can
rolling blackouts and extreme storms in many regions. chiefly rely on renew-
These types of conditions should worry those who operate able energy sources
to offset the utility, Photo courtesy of SolTerra
grid-tied systems, which are incapable of delivering power during
blackouts and emergencies. Per national and international indus- turning to the grid
try safety standards, grid-tied installations must disconnect for only when he needs to augment his clean, self-produced power
safety reasons (utility workers restoring power could be exposed or charge an energy storage system such as a battery bank. A
to potentially lethal backfeed AC if the system stayed online). smarter grid-interactive system prioritizes battery charging,
Also, the power fluctuations in solar panel-generated energy running loads and dealing with the utility in that order, offering
caused by cloud shadows, wind, trees and natural light variation total flexibility. In this way, grid-interaction lets consumer and
make it impossible to use this non-grid augmented raw power to commercial users get highly reliable, cost-effective energy while
operate home or office appliances from the panels alone. staying environmentally aware and responsible.
This is where the grid-interactive system takes a clear lead.
IBwatch-Series
Intelligent Battery Monitoring
String and Cell Monitoring String and Cell Trending
Real-Time Protection
- Monitor ALL the vital aspects of your batteries:
- String: (Voltage, Current)
- Jar/Cell: (Voltage, Internal Resistance, Connection Resistance & Temperature)
- Utilizes a patented ripple-removing algorithm for the most precise & repeated results in
any environment
- Comprehensive software for 24/7 monitoring
- Battery Trending & Reporting
- Displays VDC & IDC in Real-Time
- Sends message if battery is at warning or failure level
- Easy-to-Install with custom, pre-assembled installation materials
- Meets IEEE/NERC Recommendations for Battery Monitoring
email: [email protected] | call: 1-414-962-3377 | toll free: 1-877-805-3377 | www.eepowersolutions.com

FEATURE
For an incremental extra investment during installation, a home exasperating for a refrigerator full of groceries to fail or a busi-
or business can get the best of both worlds: greener living plus ness to lose a day of productivity when the grid goes down, but
cost savings when the grid is online, and reliable backup power it also starts the conversation around alternative options.
when the grid is down or compromised, or when electricity is Grid-interactive technology is a necessity in developing
expensive. The difference is not so much in the costliest part countries where users only have access to the traditional power
of the solar energy system, the panels on the roof, but in the grid for part of the day. A grid-interactive option delivers con-
balance-of-system components that convert electricity and tinuous access to electricity and enables augmenting the grid
potentially the energy storage required to deliver power reliably with local renewable sources, instead of relying on more coal,
and independently of the grid. nuclear or other controversial forms of power generation to meet
local needs.
The Grid-Interactive Way of Energy Conversion As the costs of greener systems become more competitive,
And Storage the industry is seeing a move
All renewable and solar energy systems use an inverter, from renewable energy to renew-
which is a device that converts the DC power generated by solar able capacity. A large part of
panels (or by a wind or hydro turbine) into the AC power that the cost of solar, wind or hydro
appliances, electronics and other everyday items need to oper- systems comes from energy stor-
ate. In a grid-interactive system, that inverter is a much smarter, age, which can sway consumers
more agile device, capable of accomplishing multiple goals as on price to implement a system
opposed to the one-trick grid-tied inverter. that relies on the grid for energy
For example, a grid-interactive inverter can perform as a storage or procurement. Lead
battery charger and store energy in a battery system designed acid batteries are an inexpensive,
for residential and commercial applications. It can also convert proven chemistry, plus the weight
battery-produced DC during an outage into useable AC power of the batteries poses less of an
and charge those batteries during the day from the panels or a issue for stationary installations
generator. It can even turn a generator on as needed. Having bat- in houses and buildings. How-
tery backup taking care of power needs in the evening means the ever, users may see fewer charg- OutBack Power Energy Cell
generators runtime and fuel inefficiency can be greatly reduced ing cycles, which would require
during an outage. upkeep of batteries over the total
Investing in a grid-interactive system built around a smarter life of a system. Lithium ion batteries provide high density and
inverter and backup batteries for energy storage is becoming efficiency, which leads to more charge cycles, but the economics
the norm in renewable energy systems. The benefits of having a of this technology are still prohibitive for many installations.
second system for clean, reliable backup power during outages The bottom line difference between grid-tied and grid-inter-
or peak use time are compelling. active is this: either type of system will save money when the
grid is operating according to the status quo. Investing up-front
Grid-Interactive Component Design and Cost in grid-interactive technology to take that next step in secure
You can find grid-interactive and off-grid systems in places energy storage gets owners twice the system and reliability. That
where solar, wind or hydro may be the only source of power cost difference becomes slight over the systems payback period.
aside from a generator, which includes field hospitals, Arctic Today, users in grid-accessible areas can commit themselves
research stations and military outposts. For this reason, the reli- to a renewable energy future without taking the extreme step of
ability and quality of grid-interactive inverters and components moving off-grid power or accepting the built-in limitations of
based on off-grid technology is usually superior and well suited grid-tied systems. The option of having an independent method
for premium commercial and residential use. of storage for energy with grid interactivity lets the spectrum of
While grid-interactive design effectively delivers twice the users reap the financial and environmental benefits of cleaner so-
system, it doesnt cost twice as much. The difference between lar, wind or hydro power in ideal conditions, while keeping open
the cost of grid-tied and grid-interactive systems starts at 15 the option of going to the grid when practical for surplus energy
percent with essential backup capability (usually furnace, some sellback. With the trend of extreme weather hitting geographies
lighting, refrigerator, TV and Internet/PC). Larger homes and all over the country, and with energy costs not getting any
small businesses may want to invest in greater backup capacity, cheaper, having a Plan B to tap into stored energy when the grid
and thats another advantage of grid-interactive design topology; goes down or gets expensive becomes top priority. The outcome
its much more amenable to a building-block approach as well will be greater energy reliability, lower bills, smaller carbon
as the addition of inverter and storage capability. footprints and more satisfied customers.
Making the Right Renewable Energy Decision

Regardless of the type of solar installation in use, electricity For more information, please visit OutBack Power at
users have experienced the setbacks of power outages. It can be www.outbackpower.com.

Batteries
Impedance Track technology, it is not necessary to manually

calibrate the battery. The use of Cell Balancing leads to maxi-
mum available capacity and to longer life. The battery packs
have comprehensive charge/discharge safety systems as well as
passive safety electronics, and worldwide agency certification
approvals, and international recycling support.
New Zinc-Air Battery System Surpasses Industry

Benchmark for Off-Grid Energy Source
QuantumSphere, Inc. has released the MetAir Ranger series
for on-demand back-up power in off-grid and emergency ap-
plications. QSIs MetAir Ranger portable power system has
received independent validation that it surpasses the industrys
RRC Standard Smart Batteries with Optimized 72-hour emergency preparedness benchmark. The system
Energy Density achieved 108 hours of instantly accessible emergency power.
RRC has three new standard Li-Ion SMBus battery packs The MetAir Ranger, a 3.2 kilowatt hour battery system
RRC2040, RRC2024 and RRC2040. The energy content for weighing less than 25 pounds, yields energy densities of 352 Wh
two of the battery packs: the RRC2020 and RRC2024, are now / Kg and costs per kilowatt hour of less than $200. The MetAir
optimally rated close to the 100 watt limit that exists in terms of portable power systems utilize QSIs proprietary cathode tech-
the Dangerous Goods Ordinance. The batteries are SMBus v1.1 nology. While one MetAir Ranger system is about the size of a
compliant and meet the JEITA standards (required for export to single deep cycle lead acid battery, it is roughly half the weight
Japan). The temperature-dependent load profiles of the batter- and has 11 times the equivalent energy per kilogram. It is also
ies increase safety and also lead to a maximized cycle life of designed to accept replaceable power cartridges once the initial
the batteries. Used in combination with RRCs battery chargers, system is air activated and used. The MetAir Ranger series is
they can be optimized and accelerate charging. By using the essentially a plug and play box of portable energy and requires
no external energy sources to stay charged. The MetAir Ranger
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR

BATTERY DIAGNOSIS & MONITORING
EXCLUSIVELY FROM SBS
1-800-554-2243
PROVIDING POWER SOLUTIONS SINCE 1915 Call Monday-Friday, 8a.m.-5p.m. CST
SBS-2002 or (2002C) Digital Hydrometer BCT-5000 Battery Capacity Tester
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NEW PRODUCTS Batteries
has an optional 150 inches by 16 inches by 12 inches) and competitively priced, the
watt 110 volt AC Newcastle Systems Portable Power package comes standard
inverter with two with an inverter, battery status meter, wire harness and smart
outlets and a USB charger. It is available with four different battery/inverter/char-
charging port. ger configurations: Models PP8, PP12, PP22 and PP25. Weight
In comparison to ranges from 65 to 170 lbs.
the commonly avail-
able battery types Balqon Corp. Introduces HIQAP Lithium Battery for
used today, such as Solar Energy Storage Applications
Lithium-ion, Nickel Balqon Corp. has introduced a low cost high capacity
metal hydride and lithium batteries as an alternative to the current industrial deep
Lead acid, QSIs cycle lead acid batteries. The HIQAP batteries are available
technology is based in 12, 24 and 48 volt configurations with an amp hour capac-
on a safe and proven ity ranging between 700 Ah to 1,000 Ah. HIQAP battery packs
zinc-air battery chemistry that is cost effective to manufacture include Balqon proprietary battery management system (BMS)
and easy to use. Zinc-air batteries are electro-chemical batteries and related power electronics components for direct replacement
powered by oxidizing zinc metal powder (a non-combustible, of current lead acid battery packs. HIQAP lithium battery packs
non-toxic and abundant domestic material) with oxygen from are designed to support large daily loads requiring deep depth of
the air to generate an electrical current. In addition, Zinc-air discharge and high energy transfer efficiency for solar, micro-
batteries have very high energy densities and an unprecedented grids, off-grid storage and telecom applications.
shelf life of up to 10 years before initial use. Sizes range from HIQAP batteries include large format 1,000 Ah and 700 Ah,
small button cells for hearing aids, mid-size for remote por- 3.25 VDC folded prismatic cells connected in a series, available
table power applications, to very large systems used for electric in 12 V, 24 V and 48 V configurations. Life cycles of HIQAP
vehicle propulsion. batteries vary from 2,500 cycles to 5,000 cycles based on depth
of discharge. Low internal resistance allows for over 95 percent
Power Pack Offers Quiet, Convenient Alternative to efficiency during energy transfer compared to 80 percent ef-
Generators, Extension Cords ficiency of equivalent deep cycle lead acid batteries.
For virtually any application requiring portable electric
power, the Portable Power package from Newcastle Systems K2 Energy Solutions, Inc. Launches of HT Technology
offers many advantages over extension cords or generators. That Extends Battery Life
Quiet, reliable and compact, it provides AC power for indoor or K2 Energy Solutions, Inc. commercially launched the HT
outdoor use. Technology in its energy optimized cells in the first quarter of
Generators are noisy, emit exhaust fumes and cannot be used 2012. This technology extends the effective operating tempera-
indoors. They also can be unwieldy, and in most situations they ture range of its batteries, consequently extending the overall
require the storage of extra fuel. Extension cords are incon- life of the batteries utilizing it. The company expects to fully
venient and unsightly and can trip people or be accidentally implement the technology in its power optimized cells by the
unplugged. Cords also reduce voltage if too long, and can even third quarter of 2012.
cause short circuits HT technology solves one of the primary challenges in
in damp surround- the commercialization of rechargeable lithium ion batteries,
ings. In contrast, the rapid degradation of battery capacity at elevated tempera-
the Portable Power tures. The operating life of a battery, with HT technology,
Package draws on improves by as much as six times when compared to conven-
a rechargeable bat- tional lithium ion technology measured at 60C (140F). High
tery to provide in- temperature performance has limited the use of lithium ion
tegrated, seamless batteries in some transportation, energy storage and military
power for virtually applications where battery systems must frequently operate in
any use. Outdoors, extreme environments. K2 Energy Solutions, Inc. believes that
it is well suited its HT technology will greatly accelerate the commercializa-
for mobile conces- tion of its battery systems.
sions, remote LED
signage, trailers,
etc. It is also well suited for indoor use wherever a powered
device needs to be used in more than one location and/or where
power may not be otherwise available.
Housed in a sealed but fully ventilated steel cabinet (16

Components
Polarized, CR2 and CR123A Lithium Battery Holders Large pass through holes on the sides and bottom of the new
A broad selection of polarized shroud allow debris to freely flow through the shroud. This
SMT and THM CR2 and CR123A minimizes the chance of large debris being caught between the
lithium battery holders has joined shroud and displacer, while still protecting the internal com-
the Keystone Electronics roster. ponents from impact. Improved shroud and displacer designs
With polarized contacts, a princi- achieve a 0.20 inch lower shut off level while maintaining the
pal design feature, the advanced same overall valve length. This provides more room for electro-
design holders accommodate all lyte expansion inside the cell.
CR2 or CR123A batteries from The non-mechanical optical level indicator allows the opera-
major manufacturers. tor to verify that each cell has been properly filled after water-
Equipped with heat resistant ing. Millennium Plus+ features a built-in indicator that is inde-
Nylon housings, the entries are pendent from the valve function, giving a true reading even if
suited for traditional soldering and reflow processing. Surface the valve is damaged. The indicator simply signals the presence
mount types feature gold-plated phosphor bronze contacts as- of liquid, with black for full and white for water needed.
suring low contact resistance and solder joints where lead-free Flip tops are now color coded to match valves for quick
soldering or reflow processes are employed. Thru-hole mount valve length identification. These user-friendly access ports
versions are equipped with tin-plated phosphor bronze contacts. eliminate drilling cell covers and removing the watering system
A wide range of applications includes OEM photographic, medi- to check specific gravity levels.
cal, consumer and industrial electronics. A 35P (DIN) adapter for the standard bayonet style valve
is now available. The latest valve for GNB works on all GNB
Advancements Made to Millennium Plus+ batteries including Flooded Classic, Liberator and Titan. These
Flow-Rite has announced advancements to the Millennium improvements in versatility can save hundreds of dollars in in-
Plus+ single point battery watering system. The latest features ventory costs. In addition, valves are faster and easier to install
include a debris resistant shroud, lower shut off level, improved with the new ergonomic spanner tool.
versatility and a new ergonomic installation tool.
In addition to our complete line of larger test equipment

Maccor offers a wide range of desktop test systems
and support equipment, including...
Secondary Cell
Test System
32 Test Positions
per Desktop
Cabinet
High Capabilities
for Single-Cell
Testing at a Very
Economical Price
Desktop Battery Frequency

Test System Response
Rack Mount Analyzer
1 to 8 test positions
or Desktop
makes this the Powerful AC
perfect mid-range High Performance impedence
desktop tester Temperature measurement
Chamber system

NEW PRODUCTS ICs & Semiconductors
Integrated 600-mA MicroSiP Power Module Achieves percent. Its unique control architecture enables it to achieve duty
9-mm2 Solution Size and Extends Battery Life cycles as low as 5 percent, while maintaining switching frequen-
Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) has introduced a small, inte- cies up to 2.25 MHz, making it well suited for high step-down
grated step-up (boost) DC/DC power module for smartphones, ratio applications, such as 12 VIN to 1.2 VOUT conversions.
tablets and other portable electronics. The TPS81256 MicroSiP Burst mode operation is used to maximize light load efficiency,
converter integrates the inductor and input/output capacitors to requiring 300 A (at no load), important for applications de-
achieve a solution less than 9-mm2 and sub-1 mm height, sim- manding maximum battery run time. For applications requiring
plifying design and saving up to 50 percent more board space the lowest possible noise, the LTC3626 can be configured to run
versus competing solutions. in forced continuous mode, for minimum noise and potential RF
Smartphone and tablet designers continue to require smaller interference. Furthermore, an internal die temperature monitor
point-of-load converters, while maintaining long battery provides a voltage proportional to temperature, which can be
run-time with high power conversion efficiency. The 4-MHz, programmed to limit maximum die temperatures. Additional
600-mA TPS81256 module supports a 5 V output with a power features include a power good voltage monitor, output voltage
density of 400 mW/mm3. The device extends battery life by tracking capability and short circuit protection.
reducing the supply current to 43 uA during light load operation. The LTC3626EUDC is available in a 3 mm by 4 mm QFN-
The TPS81256 also achieves power efficiency of greater than 20. Pricing starts at $3.45 each in 1,000-piece quantities. An
90 percent from an input voltage of 2.5 V to 5.5 V, enabling it to industrial grade version, the LTC3626IUDC offers guaranteed
efficiently manage 3 W over a full Li-Ion battery voltage range. performance over the -40C to 125C operating junction temper-
The TPS81256 is available now in a nine-bump, 2.6 mm by ature range, priced at $3.97 each in 1,000-piece quantities. Both
2.9 mm by 1 mm MicroSiP package suited for automated assem- versions are available from stock.
bly by standard surface mount equipment, and is priced at $1.70
in quantities of 1,000. Fairchild Semiconductors Load Switches Provide
Power Efficiency, Advanced Protection Features for
Mobile and Consumer Applications
High-complexity mobile devices, such as smart phones,
tablets, digital cameras and other consumer goods require
seamless power management and battery switching in order to
provide greater flexibility and better reliability. Fairchild Semi-
conductors IntelliMAX family of advanced load management
switches help designers increase system protection and reduce
complexity in their designs while achieving greater system
power and reliability.
With features such as slew rate control to prevent inrush
currents, over-current limit and thermal shutdown protection,
Synchronous Step-Down Regulator Features Input reverse current blocking and low operating input voltage,
And Output Current Limiting and Current Monitoring Fairchilds comprehensive portfolio of IntelliMAX smart load
The LTC3626 from Linear Technology is a high efficiency, switches are capable of handling a wide range of applications
3 MHz synchronous buck regulator that offers both input with multi-channel configurations and high-voltage and current
and output current limiting and monitoring. It incorporates a loads. The expansion of the IntelliMAX series addresses the
unique constant frequency/controlled on-time, current-mode dynamic power challenges of light industrial applications with
architecture that delivers up to 2.5 A of continuous output cur- one-chip solutions that provide designers off-the-shelf capa-
rent at output voltages as low as 0.6 V from a 3 mm by 4 mm bility for their design needs, reduced component counts and
QFN package. Its current-mode operation offers improved line increased efficiency.
and load transient response even with high step-down ratios. For smart devices and portable storage devices that require
The LTC3626 operates from an input voltage range of 3.6 V a high current capability and low ON-resistance solution for
to 20 V, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, power path management, the FPF1039 and FPF1048 switches
including dual/multiple-cell Li-Ion battery stacks and 5 V to offer an ON-resistance of 20 m and 23 m, and an input volt-
18 V intermediate bus systems. Its average input current and age range of 1.2 V to 5.5 V and 1.5 V to 5.5 V, demonstrating
output current limiting are pin-programmable, making it well low shutdown current drain to help facilitate compliance in low-
suited for applications such as USB power. The LTC3626s standby power applications. The optimized slew rate controlled
switching frequency is user programmable and synchronizable turn-on characteristics with TR = 2.7 mS prevents voltage droop
from 500 kHz to 3 MHz, enabling the use of tiny, low cost on supply rails with bulk capacitances as large as 200 F. The
capacitors and inductors. FPF1048 product also offers true reverse current block to avoid
The LTC3626 uses internal switches with RDS(ON) of 115 unwanted reverse power regardless of the device being on or off.
mOhms and 70 mOhms to deliver efficiencies as high as 95 Full-function load switches with adjustable current limits,

ICs & Semiconductors
such as the FPF2165R and FPF2195, are well suited for applica- approach for power-supply applications from 9 W to 90 W.
tions with physical connectors like USB and HDMI devices that LinkSwitch-HP devices automatically select their con-
may encounter large current conditions. Input power budget control mode according to prevailing line and load conditions to
trol can be easily adjusted with a current limit with an external optimize conversion efficiency and response to transient load
resistor that offers reverse current blocking to prevent unwanted demands, while minimizing output ripple and audible noise.
reverse current when the device is turned off. The devices oper- Continuous-conduc-
ate in a constant-current mode to help protect against current tion-mode (CCM)
damage and maintain limited current after a current limit fault. operation results in
reduced RMS currents,
Power Integrations ICs Introduce Primary-Side leading to higher ef-
Regulation to Power Supplies Up to 90 Watts ficiency and less heat
Power Integrations has released the LinkSwitch-HP, a family dissipation, while 132
of energy-efficient, off-line switcher ICs that can deliver up to kHz, full-load operat-
90 W output power with accurate primary-side regulation (PSR). ing frequency enables
LinkSwitch-HP ICs utilize innovative control algorithms and the use of smaller
the properties of the main power transformer and output diode, magnetics and LC post-
instead of optocouplers and related feedback circuitry, to de- filter components. LinkSwitch-HP ICs are capable of no-load
termine the amount of power to deliver from the primary to the power consumption of less than 30 mW at 230 VAC and are
isolated secondary side. This method reduces component count, more than 50 percent efficient at 0.1 W input power, meeting all
saving space and cost while enhancing reliability. Popularized global energy efficiency regulations such as ErP (EuP), EN-
more than a decade ago with the advent of Power Integrations ERGY STAR EPS V2.0 and EC Ecodesign Directive Tier 2 for
LinkSwitch line, PSR is now standard in many low-power external power supplies.
applications such as mobile-phone chargers but until now has LinkSwitch-HP ICs feature a comprehensive protection suite,
lacked the constant-voltage accuracy required in higher-power including selectable current limit, programmable shutdown
products. LinkSwitch-HP devices feature a multi-mode control delay-time extension, brown-out, brown-in, overvoltage, over-
architecture that radically advances the PSR, making it a viable current and over-temperature protections.
NEGOTIATED SALE
on behalf of our client
MTU FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GmbH
FUEL CELL SYSTEMS
Christa-McAuliffe-Str. 1 - 85521 Ottobrunn - Germany
FULLY AUTOMATIC COATING Over 30 Years of

AND DRYING PLANT Battery Testing Experience
PREFERRED ON NICKEL FOAM Coatema (2007)
Characterization & Performance Testing Abuse Testing
Life Cycle Testing / Calendar Life Testing Short Circuit
Customized Data Acquisition & Control Temperature
Overcharge / Overdischarge Vibration
Abnormal Charging Impact & Crush
Mechanical Shock Projectile
Nail Penetration IP Code
The line has been designed for the production of nickel elektrodes,
used in fuell cells, coating speed 1-10 m/min, cap. in 3 shifts
approx. 500.000 boards per year, nickel foam coil length approx. 80-
300 m, foam thickness approx. 1,6 mm, working width 700 mm, roller Detroit Testing Laboratories
width 800 mm, total dim. (L/W/H) approx. 44x4,2 (top area) x 5,8 m, is now Element Materials
The line is consisting of the following components: double decoiler, Technology!
cutting table, loop/dancer loop, pressing calendar, 2 coating units, 2 Call us at 1 586 754 9000 or
nozzle channel dryers, dryers, measurings systems, high-cap. mixing
machine, cutting unit, optical control, de-stacking system, 5 s/s stirring visit us online at element.com.
containers, machines working platform, thermal oil heating system, etc.;
Viewing: by appointment Contact: [email protected] Element battery testing capabilities include:

Cell-Level Cycling: 296 Channels (to 5V, 1600A)
PHOTOS / catalogue on our website
Module-Level Cycling: 26 Channels (to 200V, 800A)
Pack-Level Cycling: 13 Channels (to 900V, 1000A, 250kW)
www.TroostwijkAuctions.com [email protected] www.element.com

NEW PRODUCTS Charging, Testing & Monitoring
Eltek Expands DC Power System Monitoring seamlessly interact; regardless of the manufacturer. The Skylla-i
Capabilities with CAN Modules 24 V battery chargers will be NMEA 2000 certified shortly.
Eltek has announced a family of five new controller-area
network (CAN) modules that enable its Smartpack and Smart- Battery Monitor Makes Monitoring Affordable,
pack2 controllers to monitor a complete range of power-related Efficient and Reliable
systems from a single controller. Factor Power, Inc. has launched the Extreme Battery Monitor
The Battery Monitor has four voltage measurement inputs (XBM). The XBM uses the latest methods in communication,
used for battery symmetry monitoring based on midpoint or features a stylish and modular design, and with its simple plug
block measurements. The Battery Monitor also has inputs for and play installation, it will afford customers savings in time and
monitoring one battery shunt and battery breaker. money upon integration.
The Load Monitor Module lets site operators monitor indi- The XBM uses Split Core Technology, which allows the cus-
vidual distribution breakers. It can connect up to eight current tomer to install the product without having to take their system
shunts and can monitor up to eight fuses. It can also be used for offline, which is an extremely important advantage. The SNMP
both positive and negative distributions. and wireless functionalities allow the customer to observe their
The I/O Monitor Module expands the standard monitor systems from wherever they are, whenever they want, from a
and alarm capabilities of the Smartpack controllers. Each I/O laptop or mobile device.
Monitor Module has six configurable inputs for fuse sensing and The XBM allows users to monitor up to four strings and 250
feeding external signals into the control system and six con- cells at a time with one unit, with nine different alarm types and
figurable relay outputs for connecting external alarms including eight different types of measurements.
tank-level measurements or climate control sensors.
The AC Mains Monitor provides inputs for measuring Midtronics Develops New GRX-5100 Hybrid/EV
voltage and current on up to three phases of the systems AC Battery Service Tool
mains and enables monitoring of mains availability, quality and Midtronics, Inc. has completed the initial field testing for the
consumed energy. GRX-5100 Hybrid/EV Battery Station, the high-voltage Hybrid/
All nodes are powered by the distributed power supplied on EV vehicle battery service and de-power tool for various hybrid
the CAN bus from the Smartpack and Smartpack2. The CAN and electric vehicles. The GRX-5100 safely de-powers high-
Power Module can be added to supplement the available power, voltage batteries and also enables service for the battery system
if the CAN bus needs to be isolated or additional CAN bus at the module level, reducing manufacturer warranty costs and
power is needed. Configuration of the CAN nodes is plug and repair time and expense for customers.
play and can then be done via the user display on the Smartpack Currently completing field testing at General Motors, the
controller or by using Elteks WebPower and PowerSuite soft- GRX-5100 was developed to perform full battery pack service,
ware tools. The modules are powered by the CAN bus, so only including balancing, charging in no-start situations and full
a RJ45 patch cable is required for connecting the node to the de-powering. The de-power capability enables packs in vehicles
control system. This enables greater flexibility in positioning the that have been involved in severe collisions to be de-powered to
nodes close to their measuring connections reducing the amount a safe level for storage, recycling or shipment. Beyond service
of wiring needed. providers, the GRX-5100 is also targeted for reclamation yards
where it can be used to perform critical safety checks and de-
Victron Energy B.V. Introduces the Skylla-i 24 Volt powering with the battery pack either in or out of the vehicle.
Battery Chargers The GRX-5100 features a versatile electrical harness be-
Victron Energy has added two battery chargers to its product tween vehicle batteries and communication systems via unique
range: the Skylla-i 24/80 and 24/100. These two battery chargers adapters for each vehicle model. Simple menu prompts guide
are Victrons answer to the growing demand for modern, power- verification that the battery and communication systems are
ful battery chargers. The Skylla-i 24 V battery chargers are properly connected and balancing or de-powering operations
light and small, allow remote control, enable to set a maximum can safely begin. The station also utilizes USB-based memory,
amount of shore side current and are NMEA 2000-certified. which will support system updates for future vehicle battery
The Skylla-i 24 V battery chargers are significantly lighter systems without a hardware upgrade.
and smaller than their predecessors. The Skylla-i 24 V models The GRX-5100 is the latest in Midtronics products for the
are 30 percent lighter and 35 percent smaller in volume. hybrid/electric vehicle market. Previous product releases have
With the Skylla-i Control GX control panel, the Skylla-i 24 included the HYB-1000 Hybrid Battery System Analyzer,
V charge process is easy to monitor and to control. The panel designed for the aftermarket, and the GRX-5000 EV Battery
indicates the state of charge by means of energy efficient LEDs. Module Diagnostic Station, which performs both battery module
The battery chargers can be connected to self designed balancing and diagnostics and was initially created in support of
SCADA systems by means of the NMEA 2000 canbus. This new the Nissan LEAF program.
development is completely in line with Victrons open network
philosophy, an operative network in which all components

Power Supplies
(larger than 1 W multiples) allowing the singles to meet the ErP

requirement of 87 percent and 500 mW. Designed for convec-
tion and cooled applications, the GRN series operates from 0C
to 70C with suitable derating above 50C.
40-Watt DC/DC Converter with a 2:1 Input

ConTech, a Division of Calex, has released the TMH series
GRN Series of Green Power Supplies of DC/DC converters. The TMH series offers up to 40 watts of
Power Sources Unlimited, Inc. has released the new GRN
fully regulated output
series of green power supplies. Available in both single and
power with an industry
multiple output versions, these energy efficient component
standard 2 inch by 1 inch
power supplies cover the 45, 60, 80, and 110 watt power levels.
footprint. The series of-
Complying with the energy saving requirements of the ErP
fers a 2:1 input range with
(Energy Related Products) Directive, the single output ver-
nominal input voltages
sions offer high efficiency, high power density and low standby
of 12 VDC, 24 VDC and
power. The multiple output versions are available with up to
48 VDC. Single outputs
four outputs and also offer high efficiency and low no-load input
offered are 3.3, 5, 12, and 15 VDC. Dual outputs are +/-12 and
power in a compact, low profile package. The GRN series is
+/-15 VDC.
well suited to a broad range of medical, information technology,
The TMH series operates with efficiencies as high as 92 per-
and industrial applications and is designed for those seeking to
cent. Features include Remote On/Off, Output Trim and Short
reduce standby and overall power consumption.
Circuit Protection. The operating ambient temperature range of
Offering 17 standard models at each power level, the GRN
the TMH is -40C to 55C with no de-rating. The non de-rated
series offers a flat efficiency curve from 25 percent to a 100
temperature range can be extended to 65C ambient with an
percent load. The use of innovative design techniques result in
optional heat sink. The unit is encapsulated with a thermally
more than 87 percent average efficiency for the singles (12 V to
conductive potting compound in a six-sided metal case for im-
48 V) and 85 percent for the multiples (3.3 V and 5 V outputs
proved thermal performance in still air environments. The TMH
also available) while featuring less than 300 mW standby power
series is RoHS compliant.

INDUSTRY NEWS
Orbital Sciences Corp. Awards GS Yuasa Lithium tally of electric vehicles sold last year was 43,200 cars. Fuel cell
Power Follow-On Order for Additional Cygnus cars are expected to be mass produced only post 2014. The fuel
Satellite Batteries cell vehicles are still on the test bench with only a hand full of
GS Yuasa Lithium Power, Inc. has been awarded a follow-on vehicles such as the Mercedes Benz F-cell, Toyota FCHV-adv
order by Orbital Sciences Corp. to deliver batteries to be used and Chevrolet Equinox running diversified trails. Honda FCX
aboard the Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft supporting NASAs Clarity leases for $600 a month for a period of three years.
Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program for the Interna-
tional Space Station. The order from Orbital is for battery sets Mid-Continent Instrument Company Signs Agreement
for Cygnus spacecraft that will carry out missions four through Supply Advanced Nanophosphate Lithium-Ion Battery
eight of the CRS contract. In 2011 GYLP successfully complet- Technology for Aviation Applications
ed deliveries of batteries in support of the initial demonstration Mid-Continent Instrument Co., Inc. has strengthened its
mission and CRS missions one to three. True Blue Power division by signing a distribution and supply
GS Yuasa has successfully completed the deliveries for the agreement with A123 Systems, Inc. by which Mid-Continent
demonstration mission and the first three CRS missions. This will offer A123s advanced Nanophosphate lithium-ion battery
follow-on award demonstrates Orbitals confidence in our ability technology for aviation applications.
to deliver highly reliable battery systems, meet program mile- True Blue Power, which was announced in March 2011, ini-
stones and support a long-term program, said William Moll, tially began by offering two inverters and the TS835 Emergency
GYLP president. GYLP looks forward to continuing to work Power Supply (EPS), the industrys first FAA TSO-approved
with Orbital in support of the CRS program. EPS to feature A123 technology. Under the agreement with
GS Yuasas lithium ion batteries provide a low mass and A123, True Blue Power will provide lithium-ion cells, modules
highly reliable solution to power Orbitals Cygnus advanced and custom power solutions to the aviation community.
maneuvering space vehicle.
The batteries will be assembled and tested at GYLPs Ro- ABSL Space Products Lithium-Ion Battery Outlasts
swell, GA facility and use GS Yuasas space qualified LSE190 Satellite Mission Goal
rechargeable lithium ion cells. The initial battery delivery for EnerSys and its Longmont, Colo.-based ABSL Space Prod-
this order will be in the fourth quarter of this year with addi- ucts (ABSL) business has announced that the lithium-ion battery
tional deliveries through 2014. built for the Tactical Satellite-3 (TacSat-3) performed nearly
three times its planned mission life before the satellite de-orbited
BMW and Toyota Join Hands to Develop Fuel Cells on April 30th,, 2012.
In a Decade in Which Battery Driven Vehicles are ABSL was selected by ATK to design, fabricate, test and
Expected to Dominate deliver a lithium-ion battery for the TacSat-3 spacecraft bus that
BMW and Toyota have announced a joint development for was designed and built by ATK. ABSLs battery was responsible
a fuel cell sports car in extension of the research partnership of for powering the satellite during eclipse and peak mission load
lithium ion batteries established last year. With this step, both conditions. The TacSat-3 spacecraft bus was designed for one
companies are keeping their options wide open. While BMW year of operational goal but the satellite exceeded that goal by
has proactively been developing a hydrogen engine vehicle, nearly two years.
Toyotas interest would rest with designing and engineering the TacSat-3 is a forerunner to the Operationally Responsive
sports car with an ultra-light CFRP body, which is one of the Space program (ORS). ABSL also provided the lithium-ion
core competencies of BMW. space battery to ATK for the ORS-1 mission. TacSat-3 was
Partnerships between vehicle manufacturers are the key for designed to meet the various needs of the US military forces.
development and commercialisation of future expensive tech- ABSLs lithium-ion battery was a key component in the success
nologies such as fuel cell and battery electric vehicles. At least of the onboard satellite operations, which exceeded the original
five electrification related joint ventures between manufactures mission life goal.
can be observed for 2011. BMW joined hands with PSA last
year to produce and share hybrid components for mass produced ANSYS Making Electric Vehicle Batteries More
electric vehicles. The key advantage lies in the manufacturer Practical and Efficient
reducing development expenses and accelerating the time for One year into a US Department of Energy (DOE) funded
commercialization in such a conjoint effort. Sharing components project, ANSYS, General Motors LLC, the National Renewable
between manufacturers for new technologies helps achieve Energy Laboratory (NREL) and ESim are leveraging engi-
economies of scale. neering simulation technology to optimize electric and hybrid
If the fuel cell is the ultimatum of a sustainable vehicle, it is vehicle battery performance. The team achieved significant
the lithium ion driven battery vehicle however, which has oc- milestones during the past year in support of the DOEs Com-
cupied the market today. More than 25,000 electric vehicles (in- puter Aided Engineering for Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries
cluding plug-in hybrid vehicles) have been sold in the first five (CAEBAT) project.
months of 2012 in North America and Europe alone. The global Industry News continued on page 30

MARKETPLACE
Index of Advertisers
Arbin Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Maccor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
www.arbin.com www.maccor.com
Battery Solutions, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Mid-Continent Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

www.batteryrecycling.com www.mcico.com
Eagle Eye Power Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

www.eepowersolutions.com www.batteryjapan.jp/en/ex
Element Materials Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Samsung Sdi America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

www.element.com www.samsungsdi.com
EPEC Engineering Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .17 Storage Battery Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

www.epectec.com www.sbsbattery.com
Hioki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Troostwijk Auktionen GmbH & Co. KG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

www.hiokiusa.com www.troostwijkauctions.com
Intellibatt, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 UL International Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

www.intellibatt.com www.ul.com
Calendar of Events
September
18-19 - Battery Power 2012, Denver, Colo.
25-28 - 13th European Lead Battery Conference,

Paris, France
October
23-25 - Advanced Energy Solutions Conference,
San Diego, Calif.
24-26 - Batteries 2012, Nice, France
November
13-15 - The Battery Show, Novi, Mich.
December
4-5 - Lithium Battery Power 2012, Las Vegas, Nev.
6-7 - Battery Safety 2012, Las Vegas, Nev.
Send Calendar of Event listings to

Shannon Given at [email protected].

INDUSTRY NEWS
GM awarded ANSYS a subcontract to develop battery range of electric cars while reducing the cost of the battery.
software tools that will help accelerate development of next- In these activities, BASF researchers are also cooperat-
generation electric vehicles (EV). The project is a result of a ing with numerous national and international universities and
competitive procurement through the DOEs NREL that was research institutes as well as industry partners. One example
presented to GM last year. is the Innovation Alliance HE-Lion (High Energy Lithium-ion
The main goal of the CAEBAT project is to incorporate Battery) sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Educa-
existing and new battery models into engineering simulation tion and Research and headed by BASF. In HE-Lion we are
software to shorten design cycles and optimize batteries for in- collaborating with other companies such as Bosch and VW and
creased performance, safety and life span. The project is driving numerous universities and research institutes in developing the
EV innovation. next generation of lithium-ion batteries, explained Fischer.
The GM-ANSYS-ESim teams achievements over the past Besides materials for lithium-ion batteries, BASF is also
year include prototyping and validating three electrochemistry researching future battery concepts such as lithium sulfur and
modeling approaches. The partners also prototyped a co-sim- lithium air. These new technologies promise much higher
ulation feature, which blends battery multiphysics and system energy densities and have the potential to further reduce the
simulation technologies that enable engineers to shed unneces- weight and cost of the batteries, said Fischer. Here too, BASF
sary details and increase simulation efficiency without compro- is cooperating with external partners from science and industry.
mising the accuracy of the model. We are working on basic questions relating to new materials
Traditionally, the EV battery industry depends mostly on and functional components, for example in the research network
the expensive and time-consuming process of design-build-test- Electrochemistry and Batteries, with scientific partners from
break for prototyping and manufacturing these batteries, said Germany, Switzerland, Israel, the USA and Canada. To increase
Jan Aase, director of the vehicle development research lab at the service life and energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries,
GM Global R&D. However, the virtual development of engi- BASF is also cooperating with the US company Sion Power.
neered products has proven to be an effective way of evaluat-
ing many design alternatives. This specific team was selected Cymbet EnerChip Bare Die Solid State Batteries
because of their individual track records of success in their Verified Non-Cytotoxic
respective fields for providing reliable technologies that lead to Cymbet Corp. has announced the successful results of in
efficient products. vitro biocompatibility feasibility studies that were conducted to
NREL expects that the resulting systems will become com- evaluate the cytotoxicity potential of the EnerChip Recharge-
mercial offerings in about two years. This initiative is funded by able Solid State Battery. EnerChip bare die battery samples were
DOEs Vehicle Technologies Program in the Office of Energy gamma sterilized and evaluated using two in vitro test methods
Efficiency and Renewable Energy. for cytotoxicity: a) Medium Eluate Method (MEM) -1X CMEM
Cell Growth Medium Extract, and b) Agar Diffusion Solid
BASF Broadens its Technology Base and Global Sample. These in vitro cell culture assays are considered to be
Market Access for Battery Materials excellent screening assays for biocompatibility.
Over the last few months, BASF has taken several strategic The gamma sterilized Cymbet EnerChip bare die batter-
decisions to strengthen its position in materials for high-per- ies were found to be non-cytotoxic (0 percent cell lysis) using
formance batteries. Through acquisition of the US companies both the Medium Eluate Method Eluation Test and Agar Dif-
Ovonic Battery Company and Novolyte Technologies, purchase fusion Test feasibility screening procedures. The lack of any
of Mercks electrolyte activities, conclusion of a license agree- adverse biological responses in these very sensitive in vitro
ment to acquire the lithium iron phosphate technology (LFP) cell culture assays is indicative (although not a guarantee) of
with the LiFePO4+C Licensing AG and participation in Sion biocompatible test results in the other in vitro and in vivo as-
Power, BASF has further improved its technology base and pects of biocompatibility as suggested by the ISO 10993-1 and
global market access for battery materials. Research and devel- FDA G95-1 guidelines.
opment activities have also been stepped up. Cymbet EnerChip solid state batteries are fabricated using
Most materials in lithium-ion batteries of the kind currently standard semiconductor integrated circuit processes with pat-
used in electric or hybrid cars are based on innovations from ented construction techniques. EnerChip batteries are REACH
chemistry, said Dr. Andreas Fischer, vice president Battery Re- compliant as they contain no hazardous substances as shown
search and Electrochemistry at BASF, in Ludwigshafen/Germany. on the Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) candidate list
Especially cathodes, anodes and electrolytes are important published on the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) web site.
for battery performance. A battery is a chemical power plant Additionally, EnerChip rechargeable solid state batteries have
in which all the materials have to be optimally matched to each been fully tested as RoHS compliant.
other, added Fischer. We have therefore initiated numerous
research and development projects for these key components in
recent years, with the aim of developing innovative materials for
high-performance batteries that will significantly increase the

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September/October 2012 www.BatteryPowerOnline.

com Volume 16, Issue 5

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Battery Solutions, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Mid-Continent Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Eagle Eye Power Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Element Materials Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Samsung Sdi America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

EPEC Engineering Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .17 Storage Battery Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Hioki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Troostwijk Auktionen GmbH & Co. KG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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