The company ASD Automatic Storage Device has received the German Renewables Award 2013 for its outstanding solar energy storage system "ASD Sonnenspeicher", winning Innovative Product of the Year at the award ceremony in Hamburg yesterday. The sun storage system sets itself apart from conventional products thanks to its special operating principle which enabled ASD to overcome various technical challenges in the field of energy storage. The German Renewables Award was presented by the Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster (EEHH), an industry network with around 180 members. The panel of judges consisted of high-profile representatives from science and industry.
Thanks to the manufacturers intelligent electronics, the storage system charges the batteries even in low insolation conditions when the photovoltaic system is producing as little as one watt of energy. The device is connected to all three phases and supplies solar power to the entire building. If the storage system is supplying enough solar energy, the entire building is disconnected from the power grid. It only takes one millisecond for the electronics to switch between the power grid and battery, making the system significantly quicker than any other device on the market. In the event of a power cut, all appliances in the building continue to function without interruption, instead of being turned off for seconds or minutes at a time. The ASD solar storage system differs from other lithium-ion storage systems thanks to its lithium iron phosphate battery technology, which provides ultimate levels of safety. The batteries can neither ignite nor explode.
"The ASD solar storage system sets new standards by storing solar energy much more efficiently. It eases the burden on the grid and uses intelligent power management to maximize on-site consumption. The system therefore has the potential to significantly help Germany and other countries reach their energy policy goals," reasoned Prof. Dr. Andreas Reuter, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology IWES, by way of explaining the judges' decision.
"I developed the ASD solar storage system two years ago after I was unable to find anything on the market that met my requirements for my own home. I would never have guessed that it would turn into such a success story. Today, our storage system is extremely sought after. We have managed to solve various technical challenges that no one in the industry had previously been able to overcome. The award confirms to us that we are on the right path, and I am delighted to have received such recognition," explained Wolfram Walter, Managing Director of ASD, graduate engineer and storage systems expert. He founded the company in May 2013 alongside the engineer Gerd Knoll, the founder and managing director of mechanical engineering company Knoll-Feinmechanik. ASD has already filed five patents applications for its storage system.
