GE and Xtreme Power form storage partnership

Under the strategic alliance, GE will combine its industrial Durathon battery technology with Xtreme’s integrated energy storage experience. Having invested US$100 million, GE officially opened its Durathon battery manufacturing facility in the state of New York this July.
It originally acquired the battery technology – SoNick, or sodium nickel chloride – in 2007 following the takeover of U.K.-based Beta R&D, and has been manufacturing Durathon batteries since September 2011. According to the company’s website, the battery is able to run over 3,500 cycles at a deep depth-of-discharge of 80%, and is said to be capable of operating in temperatures between -40°C and 65°C.
Meanwhile, Xtreme will bring to the table its Active Control Technology (XACT), which offers control system architecture, control algorithms, real time response, remote monitoring and power management. The 2 technologies, when combined, “should enable safer and highly efficient of massive quantities of electricity at low cost for grid applications,” said GE in a statement released.
While no details were released regarding how much the partnership is worth, a spokesperson for Xtreme Power told pv magazine that products are likely to be fielded in the first and second quarters of 2013. They added that while the partnership is global, North America and Asia will be a main focus.