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ZBB Announces Design Win to Provide Energy Storage System for Uninterrupted Power to DC Loads at Major Data Center

September 06, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

ZBB Energy Corp. announced collaboration with Universal Electric Corp. to provide uninterrupted power to dc voltage lighting loads, rack power to servers and other miscellaneous loads at a major data center in a trial program. Over the course of the project, the system will include the ZBB EnerStore™ V3 flow battery and a ZBB EnerSection™ power and control center with PV and wind inputs, along with a fixed 380Vdc output for continuous power output while tied to the grid. The project is a multi-year demonstration for both internal and external customers at the end user’s site to determine what electrical efficiencies, economic benefits and green power assets achieve optimal results.

"The integration of ZBB’s products are the key to helping us deliver the world’s first Chip2Grid™ DC solution tied to Emerge™ DC Building Solutions," said Tim Martinson, Director of Universal Electric Corporation, Starline DC Solutions.

Starline DC Solutions offers a 380Vdc computer infrastructure which yields a 200% increase in reliability, energy savings up to 15%, capital expenditures reduction up to 16%, floor space reduction up to 33%, and a decrease in operating expenses up to 35% as compared to conventional ac powering solutions.

Designed to meet what has now become the global standard of 380Vdc, Universal Electric Corp. selected the ZBB EnerSystem as the preferred solution for an energy lab dedicated to integrate renewables, storage and the grid for mission critical sites. The lab is located in a data center at a major financial institution. PV, wind and the utility will be used to power IT loads and EMerge Solutions. Most renewable energy sources start as a dc voltage source and when connected directly to energy storage units, make for a highly efficient, firm, dispatchable and continuous power source.

"The ’greening’ of data centers and the desire for such facilities to achieve LEED certification makes this anew rapid growth market segment for ZBB’s products," said Eric Apfelbach, President & CEO of ZBB Energy. "We see this type of distributed storage and integrated power architecture as a complementary vertical market to the commercial building space, and believe that this type of ’smart’ DC micro-grid application with telecom and data centers will become a standardized construction approach."

More news and information regarding the latest developments in Smart Grid electronics can be found at Darnell’s SmartGridElectronics.Net.