The NH Conference Center Koningshof in Veldhoven was buzzing with energy on Tuesday. The first edition of the Energy Storage Event, where everything in the field of energy storage systems was discussed, was well attended with 304 visitors.
By: Dimitri Reijerman
Energy storage is in the spotlight due to climate issues and the energy transition. The brand new event Energy Storage from the FHI Industrial Electronics sector responded to this and presented an extensive program of lectures on this subject, while a number of exhibitors showed their products and services on the exhibition floor.
The lecture program started with a seminar by Jos van der Burgt, who works as a senior consultant at DNV GL. He spoke about the risks of incorrect battery design, which could cause, for example, fire or electrolyte leakage. Van der Burgt then sketched the options to limit risks. This starts with designing the cells safely, but also extinguishing a fire as efficiently as possible, if that happens.
Modular batteries
Frans van Look from Expice talked about the E-PowerTower, a stackable energy storage module that gives old batteries a second life through upcycling. Despite the use of older batteries, the company provides a seven-year warranty on its E-PowerTowers. According to Van Look, the batteries can be used as backup systems or home batteries. The company is now also working on a compact GRN-BOX module.
Raymond Vergouwe from Bender delved into the world of floating net systems with his audience. Vergouwe spoke to FHI before about the benefits of floating systems, a design that increases operational reliability and is applied in many sectors.
Weiss Technik was represented at the Energy Storage Event by Helmut Kipp. He provided insight into the various test methods for energy storage systems, such as the use of test chambers. This allows electronics manufacturers to prevent dangerous designs from coming onto the market.
Rudy de Winter from CN Rood discussed how battery storage can influence the stability of the grid. Grid Thumper was developed for this purpose, a test method at the request of DARPA, the technology arm of the US Department of Defense. He discussed in detail how battery storage can impact the stability of the grid and how it can continue to work in harmony.
X-ray
Studying batteries down to cell level was discussed by Martijn Fransen of Malvern Panalytical. Because thanks to X-ray technology it is possible to view cells in a working battery. Diffraction is used for this. A disadvantage of this methodology is that it only works for relatively thin batteries.
The closing speaker was Evert Raaijen van Alfen. This company supplies battery storage in containers with TheBattery. Raaijen, who previously described the advantages of Alfens modular systems listed, indicated that such energy storage systems can play an important role in keeping the grid stable, for example through load balancing and frequency control reserve. The storage containers can now be found in the ADO station.
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