Energy Plug Technologies, Malahat Battery Technologies and Enwind Power will collaborate on research, development and product localization strategies for utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) for microgrids.
The three companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) earlier this month with the goal of developing microgrid battery storage systems.
Energy Plug, an energy technology company based in British Columbia, Canada, is currently developing a 20-kWh pole-mounted battery system and a 100-kWh ground pad battery system.
"Energy Plug is adapting quickly to meet the market demand for microgrid battery storage units and distributed battery storage units for commercial and utility uses. We're delighted to partner with Enwind Power to engineer new battery products that can help bring future microgrid and battery storage applications to life," said Broderick Gunning, president and CEO of Energy Plug.
Enwind Power, a Taiwanese company that specializes in the research and development of power sciences and battery-based applications, will collaborate with Energy Plug to distribute the battery solutions to utilities as well as commercial and industrial operations.
The goal of the MOU is to grow the microgrid industry in the North American and Latin American markets.
"The unique microgrid battery storage systems that we plan to develop with Energy Plug represent an increasingly important component of modern microgrid energy infrastructure," said Charles Hsu, CEO of Enwind Power. "We look forward to working alongside Energy Plug to develop and localize powerful battery storage technologies for utility and commercial applications."
The third party involved in the MOU is Malahat Battery Technologies, a partnership between the Malahat First Nation and Energy Plug. Malahat will build the battery energy storage systems in its purpose-built assembly facility in British Columbia.
Battery storage will be critical to the integration of renewable energy in power grids because it can mitigate some of the challenges associated with intermittent energy resources such as wind and solar. When used in conjunction with a microgrid, the two technologies provide resilience as well as the ability to optimize energy use and reduce energy costs.
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