Press releases

Using solar power at any time: a+f GmbH introduces the cellcube FB 10-100 and cellcube FB 200-400 battery systems by Cellstrom GmbH for the first time at the Intersolar Europe 2010.

The cellcube FB 10-100 and the cellcube FB 200-400, which is also presented at the Intersolar Europe 2010 in Munich, enable a+f GmbH customers to use power produced from alternative energy carriers independently and at any time flexibly. All battery systems by Cellstrom are turnkey energy storage systems (ESS). The cellcube FB 10-100 can be charged and discharged with up to 10 kW (kilowatt), providing up to 100 kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy. The cellcube 200/400 features an output of up to 200 kW and a maximum storage capacity of 400 kWh. Using a large battery, eight electric cars can be “re-fueled“ up to 80% simultaneously in less than 10 minutes, or 80 four-person households can be supplied with electricity all night long.

The battery systems enable a direct 24 hour a day power supply and offer high storage stability in combination with fast response times. These systems are therefore suited for the most various applications. Like e.g. power supply for load levelling/peak balancing, back-up power supplies or storage facilities for solar and wind power charging facilities. Most important: They are a perfect addition to standalone solutions in the renewable energies sector.

The energy storage systems are based on the principle of flow batteries and use vanadium salts in electrolytes (therefore also called “vanadium redox flow batteries”). These salts are available in low concentration a.o. in the soil as well as in plants and minerals. The liquid energy carriers do not age and can be reused unlimitedly. Conventional batteries are subject to wear due to the loss of reactive material. Vanadium low batteries contain no harmful substances such as lead, cadmium, or mercury.

The total discharge performance is essential for using batteries in solar applications: Very high-quality lead acid batteries enable a discharge level of up to 80%. Repeated discharges at this level however significantly reduce the useful life. Vanadium redox flow batteries in contrast can nearly be totally discharged without reducing their useful life.

The vanadium technology enables a virtually unlimited number of charging/ discharging cycles, resulting in an expected life time of around 20 years. Only the stacks should be replaced after ten years.

In addition to efficiency, the systems’ safety also is of critical importance. Unlike many other battery types that can explode in case of a short circuit, these batteries are intrinsically safe. Therefore, they are not prone to short circuits. Furthermore, they only produce a fractal proportion of hydrogen gases as compared to lead acid batteries of the same size. Leaks from a tank would therefore be received by a safety
container, which is equally equipped with leak sensors.

System failures can cause considerable problems, in particular in case of distant unmanned stations. The cellcube FB 10-100 and the cellcube FB 200-400 therefore include a so-called “flow battery controller”. It monitors the battery status permanently and checks, whether maintenance activities are required. In this case a corresponding signal is sent via email or SMS to the local service centre or the customer, minimizing the maintenance effort. Malfunctions are identified and removed immediately or avoided through early detection. Using a monitoring software also enables you to conveniently inquire the current battery status.

The cellcube FB 10-100 and the cellcube FB 200-400 enable a+f customers to use the power produced by a solar power plant efficiently at any time and to control time of power feed-in.

Key Facts: cellcube

_ Various areas of application, e.g. solar power storage, as a back-up power equipment, for storing electric power from wind and biogas power plants, as a storage source for solar power filling stations, for power supply as a load levelling/peak balancing or for reliable power supply in weak networks
_ Long lifetime and low maintenance effort
_ Unlimited number of charging and discharging cycles at energy carriers
_ Enables power supply at any time
_ High resistance to total discharge
_ Output and storage capacity can be scaled independently from each other
_ Weather-proof turnkey energy storage systems (ESS)
_ Mode of operation based on the flow battery principle
_ High sustainability – no polluting heavy metals used
_ cellcube FB 10-100 can be charged and discharged with up to 10 kW and provides a maximum power of 100 kWh
_ cellcube FB 200-400 can be charged and discharged with up to 200 kW and provides a maximum power of 400 kWh
_ Permanent monitoring through flow battery controller and optional combination with monitoring software

back