East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc., and its subsidiary Ecoult, have announced the launch of Public Service Co. of New Mexico’s (PNM) Prosperity Energy Storage Project in Albuquerque, NM. This project integrates an advanced VRLA (valve-regulated lead-acid) and UltraBattery energy storage solution with a separately installed 500 kW solar plant. Its purpose is to provide simultaneous voltage smoothing for consistent energy levels and peak shifting to deliver energy when it’s needed the most.
East Penn, through its subsidiary Ecoult, is bringing these technologies to market as complete energy storage solutions and modules ready for custom integration. Ecoult engineered and integrated the energy storage system, and developed the Smart Grid platform that controls both the batteries and the power conversion system.
This is the first of 16 Smart Grid energy storage demonstrations funded from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to go live.
Advanced VRLA batteries feature a design enhancement to East Penn’s Deka Unigy VRLA battery technology. This enhancement protects the battery from accelerated deterioration while performing multiple cycles in Partial State of Charge (PSOC) applications.
The UltraBattery combines the advantages of the Advanced VRLA with the advantages of an asymmetric supercapacitor. This enables the optimal balance of an energy storing lead-acid battery with a quick charge acceptance, power discharge and longevity of a capacitor, which is critical for High-Rate PSOC applications. Both advanced types of VRLA batteries are virtually 100 percent recyclable and made in the US.
