A consortium of UK energy companies is developing a solar energy storage system for military applications using lithium-sulphur cells.
The lightweight durable system will feature a battery developed by OXIS Energy alongside a Lincad power management system, PureWafer PV equipment and Solutronic invertors. It will be designed initially for military use but will later be adapted for commercial systems.
The system will feature a rugged solar panel provided by Pure Wafer, which will power electrical equipment during daylight as well as charging the lithium-sulphur batteries that power the equipment after dark.
The lithium-sulphur cells provided by OXIS have been tested by the British Ministry of Defence to withstand extreme abuse and maintain high safety levels. Huw Hampson-Jones, CEO of OXIS Energy, said, “Combining our expertise in this way will allow these systems to be easily and quickly deployed. They will be invaluable to the armed forces. This development will impact commercial businesses and residential households across Europe and the wider world and will considerably reduce energy bills.”
Solutronic will integrate the solar panel with its grid-connected PV inverters that convert DC generated by solar modules into to AC to use as a power supply. These will communicate with the BMS supplied by Lincad, which has been developed to be sturdy enough for military applications.
Lincad CEO, Brian Soden said: “This development will revolutionise energy costs for the military around the world. It is indisputable that the cost of fuel for defence continues to escalate. Governments are keen to find alternatives and solar energy will play a significant part in bringing down the cost.”
