The global advanced lead battery research group, Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI), has introduced its CBI Battery Match designed to help electricity providers and other energy storage projects find a battery system that best meets their requirements.
The online service is targeted at systems specifiers and integrators for utility and renewable energy companies and presents them with a series of potential battery partners, before linking them directly with battery manufacturers.
Just like human dating apps, users tap in information about themselves together with details of their expectations and requirements.
Using uses an intelligent algorithm based on battery industry expertise, a range of battery solutions best suited to their needs are identified in real-time.
Explaining about the app, Dr Alistair Davidson, Director of CBI, said: “We’re aiming to bridge the gap between utilities and renewable energy providers and battery manufacturers by demonstrating the wide range of reliable, high-performance advanced lead batteries available.
“Our research consortium of battery manufacturers has found that their customers needed a simpler way to sort through the range of choices to identify the best battery for their energy storage system.”
Dr Davidson is confident that their battery matchmaker will help demonstrate that there is a range of options available, “where advanced lead batteries are best-suited to their needs, that allows them to find a tailor-made solution for their specific system”.
He added: “We’re seeing massive growth in demand for battery energy storage across the globe which means we need many more batteries. This new tool helps users consider the range of potential solutions and puts them in touch with potential partners in the shape of the manufacturers.”
Energy storage market
With the energy storage market expected to grow at nearly 25% in the next five years, batteries will be one of the key energy storage technologies.
“All battery chemistries will have a part to play achieving future clean energy targets,” said Davidson, adding: “One of the advantages of using advanced lead batteries is that they combine reliability, high technical performance and cost-effectiveness with a recycling rate of almost 100% in North America and Europe.”
The technology is already widely used by utility and renewable energy companies for projects ranging from large-scale peak-shaving and frequency regulation projects to microgrids and off-grid systems.
With a user-friendly interface available on desktop and mobile, energy storage end-users can log on to the CBI Battery Match, input their system requirements, and the outcome is a direct match with the battery best suited for their project.
It is anticipated that the app will enable direct communication between the energy storage company and the battery manufacturer, a streamlined process where inputted information results in the output of a battery.
The battery match service is a collaborative effort between the lead battery industry and CBI, which brings together robust, technical information from some of the leading global players in one place.
Companies including Advanced Battery Concepts, C&D Technologies, East Penn Manufacturing, Electric Applications Incorporated, EnerSys, Exide Technologies, Gridtential, NorthStar Battery and Trojan Battery Company are engaged in the project.
