Sustainable energy storage solutions for today’s fast moving world

Nilar 20172017 is going to be an exciting year for the energy storage industry and Nilar in particular. Our rack solution is now being used for multiple smart-grid applications around Europe, including charging stations for electric vehicles and distribution of renewable energy at office complexes. You can read more about these on the next pages.

We have also signed agreements with leading providers of battery energy storage to integrate our NiMH bipolar battery units into “off the shelf” home storage solutions.

Finally, the end of the year should also see the launch of our energy storage solution for Telecom base stations: a safer, and more cost efficient, reliable and environmentally-friendly alternative to both Li-ion and lead acid batteries. Once available, telecom providers will be able to replace existing batteries with Nilar’s long-life, high cyclicity, energy storage solution without the need for major new investments in base stations.

Marcus Wigren, Nilar CEO

Upgrading the gridWe all know that massive infrastructure investments are required to upgrade the grid if it’s going to cope with the long-term demands of the fast emerging electric vehicle market and the rise in distributed energy use from intermittent sources, such as wind and solar power.

For many governments and energy providers, postponing upgrades with smart energy storage solutions is the only way forward. But this shouldn’t be seen as a short-term solution. With the right system, energy storage can act as an effective buffer for many years to come and be equally effective if and when grid upgrades are carried out.

Flexible energy storageNilar’s flexible energy storage system is designed to act as a buffer at both ends of the grid, namely at utility and residential level. It performs equally well when delivering energy to the grid from an intermittent energy source, as when it’s used to store energy from the grid for supporting high power applications such as electric vehicle charging. Furthermore, thanks to the modular design of the system, energy storage capacity can be easily scaled to cope with energy requirements as demand grows. Conversely, if a grid update is carried out, energy storage can be scaled down if necessary.

Ultimately, when Nilar energy storage solutions are used, providers can meet grid demands while benefiting from current equalization, load balancing, peak shaving, and a safe, environmentally friendly power supply.

Supporting ever increasing demands on the grid

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Smart energy storage of solar power

Sustainable energy storage at production plant

Electric driven passenger ferries

Intermittent energy storage and supply at office complex

Energy supply to electric vehicle charging station

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Nilar energy storage solutions can be found in use on a wide range of applications across Europe today.

The optimal rack system for energy storageThe Nilar 48 kWh modular energy storage solution is available as standard with rack, battery control cabinet, all switchgear, inverters and state-of-the-art BMS software. The system can typically support fast charge of three electric vehicles or efficiently store energy from a 15–25 kWp solar panel system. For larger applications, the modular system can be easily scaled in increments of 48 kWh. The rack measures 1.14 m x 2.12 m x 0.8 m (H,L,W) and when stacked in the 96 kWh rack series formation, it is suitable for container solutions.

48kWh

96kWh

Made from scratch in SwedenThe battery itself is produced and assembled from cell to pack at our factory in Sweden. This synchronized production process enables us to deliver consistently high quality units. Furthermore, our refined design and manufacturing process, means our batteries have far fewer parts than other modern industrial batteries.

Tailored battery management softwareOur in-house software development team has designed a state-of-the-art battery management software system that can be tailored to meet the energy management needs of your application. The intuitive system can be programmed to react to changes in energy demands, while remote data and alarm support enables you to monitor the system from a phone or laptop at anytime.

Bespoke solutions If you have an application that requires a non-standard size energy storage solution, we can create a bespoke solution to meet your needs. Thanks to the flexibility of the Nilar 1,2 kWh 120 VDC modular pack – which can deliver up to 12 kW (10C) of power over a short period of time, or 4,8 kW (4C) for cyclic applications – we can meet a wide range of application requirements.

192kWh

Racks can be scaled in increments of 48 kWh.

Retail outlets and shopping malls are renowned for energy overconsumption. At malls in Italy, it’s not uncommon for air-conditioning to be left running 24/7: a practice that is neither sustainable nor cost-effective. The CommONEnergy project was initiated to re-conceptualise shopping malls by creating new energy efficient structures that promote energy conservation and utilise renewable energy resources. Nilar was chosen as the ideal partner to provide an effective energy storage solution for Italy’s first smart shopping mall – the Grosseto. The Challenge A new initiative is underway in Italy to improve the sustainable footprint of shopping centres. The first, in what should be a long line of Italian malls to become greener shopping environments, is in Grosseto, Italy. The initiative includes the development of a renewable energy solution and a scalable electrical vehicle charging station that can cater for 10 cars today, but potentially hundreds in the future.

Charging of electric vehicles requires a great deal of power, especially when several vehicles are being charged simultaneously. In order to minimise stress on the main power grid at the Mall, the plan is to use renewable energy to charge the vehicles. As always with such applications, safety is a major concern for the mall as tens of thousands of people pass through the building during the course of a day. The Solution A solar panel system with a total power capacity of 350 kWp has been fitted to the roof of the shopping centre. Out of the 350 kWp, 70 kWp are dedicated to supply power to a Nilar 48 kWh energy storage solution, where the energy is stored and/or used to charge vehicles in the parking lot. The entire process is managed by Nilar’s BMS (Battery Management System).

The Result Nilar’s involvement in the Grosseto project is still on going, but it’s already evident that the provided system has resulted in an optimal use of the solar cells. The Shopping mall in Grosseto now has access to an excellent way of storing solar energy safely, and the negative impact on the grid during electric vehicle charging has been heavily reduced. But the benefits of Nilar’s technology go far beyond the ability to charge electric vehicles efficiently. To date, the Grosseto project has seen a 75% reduction of overall energy demand, power peak shaving, and a 50% increased share of renewable energy resources – all paving the way for a sustainable and greener shopping mall with reduced energy costs.

Nilar provides energy storage solution for Italy’s First Climate Smart Shopping MallEnergy conservation for a greener shopping environment

Energy storage for smart office building in the Netherlands

When Kropman – a leading Dutch installation company – needed a new dynamic energy storage solution for a busy office building in the Netherlands, they turned to Nilar. An expert team comprising of members from each company, developed an interconnected energy management system to provide smart electric energy distribution throughout the building. Nilar’s bi-polar battery technology enables surplus energy to be store, utilised or efficiently distributed back to the smart grid. The Challenge: bring energy storage to an existing office building Kropman is a full-service facility engineering company that provide everything from installation design and build to facility maintenance and management. In keeping with the company’s strategy to be an innovation leader, they undertook a real-life project that would enable engineers to investigate and become knowledgeable on smart buildings and their control loads.

The project, which included a new smart interconnected energy management system, was carried out at a office building in Breda, in the southern region of the Netherlands. A sustainable energy storage solution that could store 40 kWh of energy and provide power to the building was required. On top of this, safety was a major concern, any solution had to be explosion-proof. The Solution: Solar power – bipolar battery storage technology In the beginning of 2016 the battery storage was installed at Kropman. The collaboration with Nilar was initiated after hearing about the company’s bi-polar battery technology and its smart grid application use cases. Following lengthy discussions between the two parties, Nilar were able to provide Kropman with a fully functional energy storage system, including inverter and transformer, as well as the smart grid know-how to meet this exciting challenge.

Solar panels were installed on the roof of the building. The captured solar energy was then transferred to Nilar’s bi-polar storage solution. The Nilar system not only supplies the building with the surplus power from the solar panels, but also acts as a peak shaver for various loads in the building.

New breed of interconnected energy management solution for smart grid

The Result: Local grid improvements With the support of engineers at Nilar, Kropman was able to implement the smart energy management system at the office building. Additionally, the supply capabilities will also provide support to the local power grid.

The next stage of the project would be to add electric vehicle charging stations to the Nilar energy storage system. Thanks to the modular design of Nilar units, storage solutions can be customised to meet the demands of different sized Buildings, homes or production plants.

Long-term energy storage partner

NILAR AB Stockholmsvägen 116 B 187 30 Täby, Sweden Phone: +46 8 768 00 00 Mail: sales.europe@nilar.com

NILAR AB Bönavägen 55 805 95 Gävle, Sweden Phone: +46 26 960 90 Mail: production@nilar.com

NILAR INC. Suite 525, 10800 E. Bethany Drive Aurora, CO 80014, USA Phone: +1 720 446 0169 Mail: sales.america@nilar.com

Dimensioning and planning energy management requirements for an energy storage system can be challenging, particularly in the fast-moving smart grid market. At Nilar we can support customers at every stage of a project, from drawing up initial plans and storage requirements to system integration and after sales service. Add to this our proven delivery of reliable, cost-effective energy storage, and you know you have a long-term partner that will ensure you get the optimal solution for your application.