Battery storage solution helps break cost barrier to enable utility solar

Eos Energy Storage and Northern Power Systems Corp. will develop and offer integrated energy storage systems (ESS) for utilities and commercial/industrial customers. The initiative combines the safe, ultra-low cost Eos Aurora DC battery system with Northern Power’s energy storage inverter, controls and engineering expertise. The suite of integrated solutions provides four hours of usable energy using modular 250-kW battery building blocks that are scalable for multi-MW applications.

“Batteries represent a significant portion of the performance and cost of an energy storage system,” said Chris McKay, Director of Sales at Northern Power Systems. “By using the Eos Aurora, we can deliver a fully integrated ESS solution at an all-in, installed price of less than $400/kWh—depending on project size and location but always with the quality, functionality and reliability that is characteristic of Northern Power. We believe this offering will allow more customers than ever to access the benefits of an on-site energy storage system.”

Northern Power and Eos are jointly developing and supplying industry-leading, turnkey ESS solutions offering seamless integration of batteries, power conversion, and controls along with installation and maintenance services as needed. The joint product represents a cost-effective option for utilities who want to provide relief in grid constrained areas, lower capacity payments, defer substation upgrades, and/or better integrate renewable energy. The integrated product is also appropriate for large commercial and industrial facilities looking to lower demand and peak energy charges, or provide resiliency against grid outages.

“Northern Power’s patented converter architecture and advanced controls technology are an excellent match for Eos’ battery offering. The team’s engineering capabilities will ensure successful system integration and performance for major utilities around the world,” said Eos Vice President of Business Development, Philippe Bouchard. “We are gratified to work on these projects with Northern and their clients, and Eos looks forward to deepening this relationship through the collaborative Eos Aegis integration program.”

The Eos Aurora battery solution is powered by the company’s aqueous, zinc hybrid cathode Znyth technology and offers game-changing cost and performance for a critical segment of the energy storage market. With a volume price of $160/kWh for the DC system and an expected life of 5,000 full depth-of-discharge cycles, the Eos Aurora offers the best-fit solution for multi-hour energy storage applications.

Northern Power’s FlexPhase power converter technology leverages a modular, compact, and efficient design that is easy to service. The platform allows for a wide range of DC voltages suitable for a variety of battery types. Northern Power’s proprietary PowerRouter controls allow for seamless transitions between grid and islanded operation, as well as black start capability. The grid-friendly design improves power quality and system stability.

Northern Power’s engineering design team is supporting integration of the Eos Aurora DC battery system with Northern Power’s advanced power converters and control software, to deliver a superior performance solution and ease-of-installation in the field. Eos and Northern Power initiated the partnership by focusing on development and optimization in 2016 and plan to deliver fully-integrated products to major utilities in the second quarter of 2017.

Eos and Northern Power are attending the DistribuTECH conference together in San Diego, CA from January 31 through February 2. Additional information regarding the integrated battery energy solution will be available at Eos’ booth #1247.

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Enphase Energy reduces workforce by 18% in restructuring, looks toward profitability

Enphase Energy announced plans to restructure its operations to accelerate its path to profitability. This will include an approximately 18 % reduction in force.

“This is a challenging decision, and we are very grateful for the hard work and professionalism of all affected employees. However, these actions are necessary to create a near-term path to sustained profitability, while we deliver the new and innovative products we have promised our customers,” said Paul Nahi, president and CEO of Enphase. “The gains we have seen in our inverter market share in the U.S. and global residential markets, along with the positive reception of the Enphase Storage System in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K., validate Enphase’s ability to continue to lead the industry.”

Enphase is the world’s leading provider of microinverters, with over 13 million installed in more than 540,000 systems around the world. According to Greentech Media, Enphase makes up over 80 percent of the global microinverter market, a market they predict will double in size (by MWac) from 2016 to 2018. Further, in the most current market share data available from Greentech Media, Enphase gained 5.4 percent share in the U.S. residential solar market from the first quarter to the third quarter of 2016.

Earlier this month, Enphase announced a $10 million strategic investment in the company by T.J. Rodgers, founder and former CEO of Cypress Semiconductor, and John Doerr, chairman of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

News item from Enphase Energy

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Sunverge software now allows interconnecting to a range of batteries and inverters for a virtual power plant

Sunverge Energy, a provider of intelligent energy storage systems for residences and small businesses, today announced the Sunverge Infinity, an energy management platform that works with third-party energy storage systems. The Sunverge Infinity unit works with a range of battery storage and inverter products from various vendors, enabling utilities, electric retailers and solar companies to use Sunverge’s cloud-based software platform to connect and manage those systems, aggregating them into a common virtual power plant.

The Sunverge Infinity allows energy service providers, utilities and energy retailers to offer their customers a variety of storage hardware options for their homes and small businesses. Customers can choose the configuration they prefer and enjoy the benefits of backup power, bill savings and additional services that Sunverge’s own storage systems have delivered to end users for nearly a decade.

“Storage technology realizes its full potential when individual units can be centrally managed and aggregated,” said Ken Munson, CEO of Sunverge Energy. “Sunverge Infinity is the link between our powerful software platform and the growing number of battery and inverter options out there. It creates greater choice for consumers along with offering more powerful management options for providers.”

The Sunverge Infinity streamlines Virtual Power Plant (VPP) management for utilities dealing with increasing numbers of distributed energy resources (DERs) on their grids. With it, grid operators can access a much larger pool of solar and storage assets as part of a VPP while providing the same performance and reliability when dispatching these resources.

“Electric utilities are increasingly investigating impacts on the grid resulting from the two-way flow of energy,” said Brett Simon, GTM Research Analyst. “Software for DER management and aggregation is critical to ensuring both a resilient grid in the face of changing architecture, as well as enabling the most efficient utilization of these resources.”

The Sunverge Infinity is based on the same software architecture as the Sunverge One, formerly known as the Solar Integration System, which is used by nearly 1,000 homeowners in five countries. Limited releases of the Sunverge Infinity will be available in Q1 through a network of Sunverge sales partners and partner companies in the U.S., Canada and Australia. The product will be commercially available in Q2. The retail price will be calculated based on a customized package of system components which may include the photovoltaic system, battery inverter, energy management and third-party energy storage unit, plus the cost of installation.

“We’ve seen the steady growth of storage across the globe because it adds tremendous value to solar installations, increasing reliability, cutting bills and reducing payback times,” Munson said. “Sunverge Infinity represents another innovative advance from Sunverge, the kind we’ve been bringing to market since our launch.”

News item from Sunverge Energy

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Solar Asset Management North America takes place March 28-29 in San Francisco

On March 28-29 in San Francisco, Solarplaza will host the 4th annual edition of Solar Asset Management North America, dedicated to the operational phase of solar plants and portfolios. The event covers technical and financial topics, ranging from performance optimization to refinancing and secondary markets. Learn from 50+ speakers and network with 500+ attendees representing the leading service providers, asset/portfolio managers, IPPs, utilities, investors, developers and advisors active in the North American solar market.

Program & Prices

Both conference days offer three separate tracks covering a wide range of topics, from residential, utility scale and storage to solar analytics and financial optimization of operational assets. Additionally, the program offers two options for a project visit on March 30. Attendees can choose to attend either the 135-MW utility scale Quinto Solar PV plant or the rooftop PV project on Alcatraz prison island.

For more information, the full program, and prices, please visit: http://www.solarassetmanagement.us/registration/. Register before Feb. 8 and save up to on registrations with the Early Bird discount.

As a partner of Solar Asset Management North America, you can use the promotional code SPWORLD17 when registering online to secure a 10% discount on conference registrations.

Webinars

As a prologue to Solar Asset Management North America, Solarplaza is offering a complimentary webinar: PID – mechanisms, recognition and mitigation, to help you learn more about how to deal with PID (Potential Induced Degradation). Negatively affecting the performance of ungrounded PV systems and causing power losses of up to 40%, this phenomenon draws renewed attention in times of rapidly growing solar portfolios. To register, or to view past webinar recordings, visit: http://www.solarassetmanagement.us/webinars/

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