EnerVenue offers pre-assembled nickel-hydrogen battery vessels

From pv magazine USA

EnerVenue, a US-based manufacturer of metal-hydrogen batteries capable of cycling up to three times per day, at two to 12-hour discharge rates, is launching of the EnerVenue Energy Rack. Each rack consists of integrated Energy Storage Vessels (ESVs) in 150 kWh and 102 kWh configurations.

“Our customers get complete flexibility to install and connect as many fully assembled Energy Racks as their energy storage use cases require—simple as that,” said Randall Selesky, CRO, EnerVenue.

The company reports that the solution includes EnerVenue’s next-generation ESV battery technology, custom battery management system (BMS) hardware, and the wiring and connections required for integration into customized containers or buildings.

The next-generation ESV battery, announced in September, is designed for large-scale renewables and storage applications. It reportedly has a 30-year, 30,000-cycle lifespan, with the manufacturer offering a 20-year/20,000-cycle warranty that guarantees at least 88% battery capacity remaining after that period.

EnerVenue claims its nickel-hydrogen battery technology can operate at temperatures between -40 C and 60 C, and that it can provide the promised cycles without degradation and at varying rates. The battery has an efficiency ranging from 80% to 90%, depending on the cycle rate, and its energy density per square foot is equal to, or better than lithium-ion batteries, according to the company.

The Energy Rack solution is designed for use in both 1000 VDC and 1500 VDC systems in either indoor structures or outdoor-rated enclosures. The Racks can serve as interlocking modules that can be connected inline or stacked up to three levels high.

EnerVenue notes that its nickel-hydrogen ESV technology does not have the thermal runaway risk of lithium-ion batteries. Another benefit is that the storage solutions are serviceable at a component level, which can lower maintenance costs, the company reports.

In March EnerVenue announced that it will open a one million square foot gigafactory on a 29-hectare site in Shelby County, Kentucky, where it will design, manufacture and test its nickel-hydrogen ESVs. The first phase of the project will provide 450 full-time jobs and is aiming for 1 GWh of annual production. EnerVenue says it expects to invest over $1 billion to expand to more than 20 GWh per year across its domestic manufacturing sites in subsequent phases. The company currently has manufacturing facilities in Fremont, Calif.

EnerVenue Energy Racks are now available to order and will begin shipping in 2024.