Russelectric adds EV charging stations to microgrid at headquarters
The hybrid microgrid designed to power Russelectric’s Hingham Massachusetts headquarters and demonstrate new customer solutions now has two electric vehicle charging stations. These will provide additional back-up power during outages, add a new research platform, and charge employees’ electric vehicles during regular business operations and grid outages.
By Smile Fight/Shutterstock.com
The level 2 charging stations can charge electric vehicles at up to 7.2 kW (30A), providing a full charge for most EVs in under four hours. The chargers were easy to integrate into the microgrid because of their capabilities to meter the energy consumption and execute load profiles provided by compatible controllers through either a local or remote connection.
“The charging stations serve as an R&D platform to explore how our customers can integrate electric vehicle charging solutions into their distributed energy power systems,” said Jason Martin, head of Russelectric, a Siemens business.
Celia Dayagi, head of product management for Siemens e-mobility solutions in North America, calls the pilot installation ‘an excellent sandbox,’ in which we can explore how to execute driver and building preferences in a microgrid setting.”
Koben and Instant ON announce partnership
A new strategic partnership will combine Koben System’s energy smart panel with Instant ON’s (IO) hub platform. The result will bring consumers the benefits of smart-grid power and more individual control over their electricity and gas use, say the companies.
Koben’s energy panel combines a smart meter, circuit controller and power load panel, according to Vic Burconak, Koben’s CEO and president. Instant ON’s hub will add monitoring and control of gas or hydrogen.
“Partnering with Koben to create the IO hub will ensure that solar, batteries, EV chargers and fuel cells work seamlessly in a nanogrid/microgrid to protect a home from blackouts,” said AJ Perkins, Instant ON president. This hub gives solar microgrids the capability to add natural gas or hydrogen fuel cells, and all work off the same microgrid controller.
Instant ON has contracts to build more than one million nanogrids for US Veterans and plans to build five million by 2025.
$5 million grant adds grid resilience, energy storage at Camp Pendleton
Indian Energy, a 100% Native American-owned utility-scale and microgrid development firm based in San Diego, will use more than $5 million from a California Energy Commission (CEC) grant to develop and demonstrate long-duration, non-lithium ion based energy storage technologies at Camp Pendleton.
The grant is part of the CEC’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which funds research that accelerates clean energy innovation. This research also demonstrates the value of energy storage technologies and evaluates how they meet various customer needs and increase grid resilience.
With construction partner Webcor, Indian Energy, Indian Energy will develop, integrate and commission several hybrid modular storage systems (HMSS). The HMSS project aims to uncover and close any final knowledge gaps before using this in grid-scale, long-duration storage projects. These are considered some of the last barriers to securing California’s sustainable clean energy future.
Allen Cadreau, CEO of Indian Energy, said, “Our project will not only verify the industry’s leading energy storage technologies and capabilities but will aid in the advancement of the technology and its operational security. We now can test energy storage use through real-time applications at a time when our energy, transportation, and tribal nation infrastructure needs critical support.”
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