Axion Power International (AXPM), based in New Castle, Pennsylvania, has developed and patented a battery storage system called PbC® that promises to be an important piece of the future smart grid.  The device has already won a Frost & Sullivan Technology Award for North America.

The new battery offers major performance advantages over conventional lead-acid batteries that have “the potential to revitalize the lead-acid battery industry by breathing new life into an established technology that is not well suited to the requirements of important new applications like hybrid electric vehicles and renewable power,” according to Frost & Sullivan.

On December 28 AXPM announced it had developed the PowerCube, a PbC®-based system tightly integrated with a smart grid technology and a vehicle recharging station that provides clean power using solar or wind energy.  PowerCube was made possible with a $248,650 grant provided by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority.

The PowerCube system will become part of a 500 kilowatt installation that will be deployed at Axion’s battery manufacturing facility in New Castle.  PowerCube makes abundant use of Axion’s patented PbC® technology.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said the PowerCube represented precisely the type of “innovative green energy project” that would put the state on “the road to energy independence.”  The grant represented one-sixth of Pennsylvania’s grant budget for these types of projects.

Thomas Granville, CEO of AXPM, said the grant proves the value of PbC® technology for meeting the requirements of a high-capacity battery storage system that benefits the environment.  Granville added that the technology allows for the greater storage capacity required by smart grid systems and will allow for smart grid systems to be more easily deployed.

Granville said he looks forward to the chance to demonstrate how effectively his company’s PbC® battery can support smart grid technology such as reduced peak demand, and power supply quality.  PowerCube is also easily customized into designs such as the vehicle recharging station.

Funds from the grant money will be used for design and installation costs of the PowerCube system as well as the procurement of power conditioning equipment from Eaton Corporation.  PowerCube is designed to be easily and tightly integrated with an Envision Solar CleanCharge vehicle charging station or a wind turbine system.

Envision Solar has deployed its system for several high-profile clients throughout the United States.  AXPM has had a long-standing relationship with the company.

Granville said that the forward-looking design of the PowerCube system that allows it to easily combine with wind and solar systems is essential to the marketability and potential of the PowerCube system.  He said it was a complementary product to the renewable energy market.

“The PowerCube has been designed to capture the intermittent power generated by renewable energy producers like solar and wind, and to recover rapidly after an outage event,” said Granville.

Axion Power International
3601 Clover Lane
New Castle, PA 16105
http://www.axionpower.com

Frost & Sullivan
7550 IH 10 West, Suite 400
San Antonio, TX 78229-5616 USA
http://www.frost.com

Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority
Rachel Carson State Office Building
400 Market Street, 15th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8776
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/energy

Eaton Corporation
3805 McCain Park Drive
N Little Rock, AR 72116-7803
http://www.eaton.com

Envision Solar
7675 Dagget Street
Suite 150
San Diego, CA 92111 USA
http://envisionsolar.com

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