North Carolina-based Duke Energy just flipped the switch on what the company claims is the world’s largest battery power storage system. Situated at their Notrees wind farm in western Texas, the $44 million, 36-megawatt facility utilizes cutting-edge technologies to provide storage for—and therefore a steady supply of power from—the 153-megawatt renewable energy plant which supplies electricity to Walmart.
After more than two decades of R&D, XP's PowerCell™ raises the bar for electrical energy storage technology. The PowerCell is a 12 volt, 1 kWh, dry cell battery technology with a very innovative design. Metal alloy-coated, ballistic grade fibers are woven together to offer structural integrity, as well as multiple pathways for ultra-low impedance current flow both in and out of the battery. Proprietary formulas of fundamental alloys, such as copper, lead and tellurium, are used to form bi-polar plates that provide a massive surface area at the nano-scale for the chemical reaction to take place, resulting in an extremely low internal resistance
Safe and Environmentally Friendly
Because PowerCells are a benign technology, they are non-hazmat rated which means they can be transported using traditional methods, require no special handling or documentation, and do not have any special siting requirements. PowerCells are also highly recyclable, and XP® ensures that PowerCells are properly recycled at the end of their life. Unlike most competitive energy storage technologies, PowerCells maintain a near ambient temperature while being exercised, which eliminates many of the risks associated with other battery technologies.
Key Characteristics of PowerCells:
- Energy like a battery; Power like a capacitor
- Low internal resistance provides high instant power capability, high efficiency, and operation at ambient temperature
- Performs thousands to millions of cycles over a broad range of changes in SOC
- Non-Hazmat rated and no special permitting required
- 98% of materials recovered and recycled
http://www.xtremepower.com/xp-technology/powercells.php
http://www.duke-energy.com/environment/default.asp