Electricity and Control April 2020

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR : PRODUCTS + SERVICES ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

Multiple Power Sources

Various Applications

At a glance ■ The MegaBoy is an efficient, reliable and smart power and energy storage system for off-grid and grid-connected applications. ■ The cells BlueNova Energy uses in its LiFeYPO4 battery pack differ from others in that they contain yttrium, which protects the cathodes against accelerated degradation in warmer temperatures. ■ BlueNova has developed and continues to develop advanced algorithms that enable the smart energy management system to optimise energy efficiencies, performance and costs.

PV Array

Residential

Commercial

Wind

Industrial

Generator

EV Stations

Grid

possibilities this presents. It adopts new technologies to advance energy storage options and develop cost-effective power-saving and backup applications. It is at present using the benefits of lithium iron phosphate batteries for stationary storage applications. However, the storage medium itself is not the company’s primary focus; it looks rather at the systems around the storage medium which make it effective and useful. BlueNova follows developments in other storage media, such as super capacitors and solid-state batteries closely. “Once these storage media become feasible,” Verster says, “we would incorporate them into our designs and develop further optimisation algorithms to use them effectively.” □

The MegaBoy iESS can be powered by various sources and scaled for use in residential, commercial and industrial applications.

monitoring and control capability. Verster explains that the iESS is deployed with an EMS which incorporates various algorithms to ensure the system performs its primary functions in an optimised way. This is how the load shifting, peak shaving, voltage and frequency stabilisation, and power factor correction functions are managed. The EMS has a unique patented feature in that it can anticipate the impact of load shedding on the load and can prepare for such an event by charging the storage unit to the appropriate level – to ensure that the power to the load is uninterrupted while the grid is unavailable. The remote monitoring and control capability, which is a typical requirement for such energy storage systems, allows for full remote operation. BlueNova Energy has developed and continues to develop advanced algorithms that optimise the use of its intelligent energy storage system. The smart storage algorithm mentioned above was patented in 2015. Complex modelling of the storage capacity allows for accurate discharge profiling, which in turn leads to significant life extension of the storage cells. In its range of energy storage solutions, BlueNova focuses on stationary storage applications. It offers small 12 V, 8 Ah lithium batteries that can be used in home security systems, and a range of residential class batteries from 4 kWh to 500 kWh. Its industrial energy storage solutions start at 250 kW of power and 450 kWh of storage and, as noted, can be scaled up to a more than 100 MW by 800 MWh system. BlueNova recognises energy management as an international challenge. As technology evolves, it believes it has a responsibility to keep up with the functional

Some of the Blue Nova Energy team at the launch of the new intelligent energy storage system.

Blue Nova Energy is based in Somerset West in the Western Cape. The company was established in 2015 and has recently formed a partnership with the Reunert Group.

For more information visit: www.bluenova.co.za

Electricity + Control APRIL 2020

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