Lead-acid battery company Advanced Battery Concepts has changed business model after almost going under and is focusing on supplying back-up battery systems to households and restaurants.
It is promoting a Home Emergency Energy Storage (HEES) system to provide up to two days’ power during power cuts. “We’re getting good traction in the market for this product,” CEO Ed Shaffer said, pointing to the 10-year warranty on offer. The system provides 12KWh daily cycling and 20KWh of power, and can be installed indoors or out.
“We’re seeing a lot of uptake because of concerns about lithium,” he said. Fire safety concerns are leaving electricians “petrified” of getting sued if the battery inside a building catches fire, Shaffer told BEST during the ELBC conference.
A fire which ignited in one of the 24 lithium-ion battery storage containers at the San Diego Gas and Electric facility, in Escondido, California on 5 September, caused an evacuation order for the nearby district, affecting about 500 businesses. Three schools also closed as a precautionary measure. “We will see continued regulatory restrictions on lithium batteries near residential areas,” Shaffer said.
His system is based on bipolar lead-acid battery technology. A more powerful 40 KWh BESS is under development and he is hoping for release next year.
A lot of businesses have installed solar panels for energy, but restaurants need that energy at night, and ABC is looking to supply this market too.
He said his previous effort to raise $50 million to fund development of his EverGreenSeal Box-Be industrial-scale battery “did not come close” to succeeding. The US company laid off all its employees as it fought for survival, and shelved plans to build a manufacturing plant in Ireland. It is now rehiring staff and looking to make money so he can build the EverGreenSeal side up again.
Electricians are becoming integrators, Shaffer said, and he is focusing on selling them a DC BESS. He has hooked up with a distributor called PowerStation based in Florida and Utah.
Another strand to the business is a DC-DC EV charging system. ABC signed a memorandum of understanding to initially supply up to 20,000 of its proprietary GreenSeal storage batteries to Kilows for ultrafast EV charging plugs at up to 5,000 locations in the US.
“We have been spending a lot of money on EverGreenSeal product development. Now we’re focused on making money. It will show this is a profitable business,” he said.
Photo: Ed Shaffer smiling again after his fight for survival.
