The 'batterX' project is a joint European project, as it originated in different places in Europe, completely independently of each other. On the one hand, it was started by a team of Belgians with a company in Luxembourg, and on the other by a team from Worms in Germany. From the mid-1990s onwards, both teams - initially without knowing about each other - gathered their first thoughts on electricity and energy self-sufficiency. From the impressions they gathered, the idea of linking systems for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and photovoltaics was born around 2008 in order to combine energy self-sufficiency with a high level of security.

UPS with photovoltaic energy

'batterX' at Cebit 2016: The 3-phase UPS system with peak load management can be supplied with power from renewable energy sources and used to charge electric cars or control electric charging stations.

© dfm-select

Patrick Willems, Managing Director of Vision Ups Systems Sàrl, together with André Huberty, who worked as a developer at the company, began testing competitors' UPS systems for their suitability for this project. As they were not satisfied with the results, they set about developing such a hybrid UPS system for their needs themselves. Their goal was a stable hardware with a control unit that could be controlled by themselves. They initially succeeded in developing single-phase systems with an output of 3 to 5 kW together with a partner from Taiwan / China. The first prototypes were created around 2012; development with this partner was then discontinued. Patrick Willems continued to work on his idea and took it further with a Turkish partner. The result was three-phase UPS systems.

Michael Wegener, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of the Worms-based IT service provider Satware, was another source of 'batterX'. Wegener bought a 100% electrically powered Tesla Model S in 2013 - and concluded that if a car with such performance and range could be operated with an 85 kWh battery, it must also be possible to supply homes and companies with energy on the same scale. This thought occupied him intensively. The solution was obvious: the UPS systems from the company's own IT hardware range met exactly the requirements that Wegener wanted. Now the UPS systems had to be supplied with power from photovoltaic systems and sufficient batteries had to be connected to create a self-sufficient power supply system that combined the advantages of the UPS with energy from renewable sources such as the sun.

When the companies Satware and the Luxembourg team around Patrick Willems met, this was the starting signal for the joint project 'batterX'.

batterX was officially presented for the first time at Cebit in March 2016 and at Intersolar Europe in June 2016. At the same time, a network of partners in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other countries was established. Companies from the UPS and photovoltaic industry with employees specially trained in batterX technology are suitable as 'certified partners'.

The 'batterX' project

One of the first certified partners is dfm-select, a provider of customer-specific solutions with uninterruptible power supplies, programmable laboratory power supplies and electronic loads, including service and maintenance. Since July 2016, Europe-wide partner meetings have been held at which the partners exchange ideas and work together to position batterX more broadly on the market.

There are plenty of current challenges: for example, implementation and development need to be accelerated in order to exploit the development lead and work through upcoming targets. Employees need to be trained in the technology and development and partner companies need to be trained to plan, install and maintain batterX systems. In order to drive forward the project, which has so far been financed entirely from the company's own resources, talks are being held on the subject of funding - including with suitable investors. The aim is not to 'sell' anything, but to create a global electricity storage network using 100% renewable energy.

Intelligent control of energy supply

The front view of the 3-phase UPS shows the illuminated blue display, which shows, for example, the power mix from solar energy via the photovoltaic system, from the connected batteries and from the grid.

© dfm-select

The energy flow can now be controlled in such a way that the battery discharge current and the photovoltaic energy generated can be flexibly determined. The primary energy source is initially assumed to be photovoltaics or another renewable energy source. If no such source is available, the load is supplied with a controllable mixture of battery and grid power. The depth of discharge of the batteries can also be individually adjusted.

The simultaneous use of different energy sources ensures reliable peak load management. The mains power can be limited to a nominal value. Peak loads are then covered by a mix of photovoltaic and battery power. Thanks to a specially developed online technology, this energy supply runs smoothly and without interruption.

Technically, batterX is already ready for the market as a UPS hybrid system. Numerous systems around the world are in the planning and implementation phase or already in operation.

Medium-sized companies with high electricity consumption and possible peak loads, for which they currently usually have to pay extra, are suitable for using batterX. Many such companies have suitable roof areas for photovoltaic systems or are already operating them. However, the feed-in tariff for such systems is becoming increasingly unprofitable. The IT departments of such companies usually operate a UPS system, which has so far only generated costs. This means that photovoltaics and UPS are available in these companies and the investment costs for batterX would be low. In addition, the system quickly pays for itself.

The UPS power ranges from 10 kVA to 4 MVA, with battery storage from 5 kWh to >1 MWh. Such systems can also be used to operate parts of industrial plants. The battery storage systems are operated with lead-gel batteries.

The hybrid system is also interesting in terms of energy-saving potential if combined heat and power plants, which generate electricity as a 'waste product' and feed it into the grid at low cost, are used in future to supply the electricity generated to a batterX storage system and use it again later. Developments for this area of application are already so far advanced that the first systems of this type are expected to be launched in the course of 2017.

Peak load management will also become increasingly important in the future, especially when it comes to e-charging stations for electric vehicles. 'batterX' is already equipped for this. The external controllability of the systems is currently being fine-tuned. Interfaces are to be programmed that communicate with weather data, for example, so that decisions can be made independently or fully automatically as to when electricity needs to be purchased from the grid.

Authors:
Marcus Luik is the owner of dfm-select in Metzingen;
Dietmar Schönig is CEO of Satware in Worms.