Energy storage developer Peak Energy has deployed its sodium-ion technology for use in a pilot project with nine utility and independent power producer (IPP) firms.
The US company’s system has been installed at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) in Aurora, Colorado. It’s reportedly over 3MWh (its GS1.1 product is 3.5MWh).
Peak Energy says its sodium-ion pyro-phosphate (NFPP) chemistry is thermally stable under all operating conditions. The system is passively cooled, i.e it doesn’t require pressurised fluid loops, and fire suppression systems.This lack of additional components, they say, reduces installation cost, operating load and eliminates noise generation. It also means the company can claim their system requires no augmentation or preventative maintenance for 20+ years (Peak Energy claims a 33% reduction in battery degradation over a 20-year project lifespan).
Cameron Dales, the president and CCO at Peak Energy, told news outlet ESS News that: “If you look at the total cost of ownership over 20 years, these passive system innovations… allow us to deliver savings of up to $75/kWh on a net present value basis.”
Peak Energy has offices in Denver, Colorado and California. Last December, it announced the inauguration of its Battery Cell Engineering Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The company’s goal is to bring battery supply chain manufacturing to the US. Its centre in Broomfield is part of this ambitious plan. The centre is designed to serve as a hub for research and development, focusing on the integration, testing, and validation of sodium-ion battery components such as cathodes and anodes.
The centre is in collaboration with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the City and County of Broomfield.
Image: Peak Energy’s sodium-ion ESS. Credit: Peak Energy
