Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa has announced it will be supplying a dual chemical— lead-acid and lithium-ion— hybrid energy storage system to a port in the UK.
As BEST reported at the beginning of June, the PESO (Port Energy Systems Optimisation) project will provide power for electric vehicle charging and localised grid support at Portsmouth International Port.
The dual chemical 100kW ESS will be housed in a weatherproof shelter and will use lithium-ion technology as well as standard lead-acid Yuasa ENL battery technology.
The lead batteries will be manufactured at GS Yuasa’s Ebbw Vale factory in Wales where final assembly and integration of the entire system takes place. The lithium batteries will come from Japan.
The system will allow electric vehicles to be fast-charged during the day from electricity supplied overnight at a lower tariff.
A big problem for rapid charging of electric vehicles (EVs) is the limited power— 30-50kW range for a medium-sized shop or car showroom— despite the battery capacity of standard EVs ranging from 50kWh to 90kWh.
This disparity can overwhelm sites causing the grids to crash.
PESO is a two-year project co-funded by Innovate UK. Its three main areas of innovation to pilot are: construction of the dual chemical battery system; advanced management software to optimise onsite energy generation; and develop a smart port grid infrastructure.