April 20, 2006 In a significant development, Magnetek and VRB have announced a significant new multi-purpose 5kW energy storage as an alternative to traditional lead-acid battery backup systems. Housed in a ZONE-4 certified NEMA 3R type enclosure, Magnetek's 5kW Vanadium Redox Battery Energy Storage System (VRB-ESS) backup power system is comprised of a storage tank containing a vanadium-based electrolyte, flow-cell stacks, and pump system and provides cost effective, reliable and environmentally friendly backup power. Virtually maintenance-free, it affords substantially lower cost of ownership than lead-acid battery-based systems and provides unprecedented security-of-supply to meet the energy needs of a variety of applications.
Based on VRB Power's patented Vanadium Redox Battery Energy Storage System (VRB-ESS), the 5kW system is comprised of an electrolyte storage tank containing a vanadium-based electrolyte supplied to a regenerative cell stack that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A chemical reaction in the flow-cell stacks creates a current that is collected by electrodes and made available to an external circuit. This reaction is reversible, allowing recharging of the DC power modules.
The VRB-ESS is well suited for a variety of applications.
With its precise state-of-charge monitoring and extremely rapid recharge rate, the VRB-ESS is ready to perform whenever an AC utility grid outage occurs, and when power is restored it returns to backup duty faster than any other system available. Environmentally friendly and competitively priced, the VRB-ESS unit is the backup system of choice where high-reliability power is needed. Incorporating "green" technology, it has negligible ecological impact, distinguishing it from conventional energy storage systems that rely on toxic substances such as lead and cadmium.
DC power accessories include four 3,000-watt rectifier modules, power system controller with advanced features, alarms, and a power distribution panel.
