Aquion Energy’s Aqueous Hybrid Ion chemistry offers an environmentally-friendly solution which is particularly important for developing countries with no robust recycling programmes in place. The battery’s resistance to high temperatures and ability to withstand deep cycling, partial state of discharge conditions make it ideally suited to off-grid applications, and with a TCO lower than lead acid batteries offers a financially compelling alternative. TowerXchange speak to Aquion Energy to learn more about their innovative solution.
TowerXchange: Please can you introduce Aquion Energy and where they sit in the telecoms supply chain.
Matt Maroon, Vice President, Product Management, Aquion Energy:
Aquion Energy manufactures maintenance-free, daily deep-cycling batteries that provide energy storage for off-grid and weak-grid telecom towers. Our batteries store power generated from solar and enable towers to run from solar during nighttime hours or during periods of cloud cover. This enables telecom towers to provide reliable service and reduce their use of diesel considerably.
TowerXchange: Can you explain the benefits of Aquion Energy’s aqueous hybrid ion chemistry batteries? What has been the reaction of industry to their environmentally-friendly design? Do you see this as becoming increasingly important?
Matt Maroon, Vice President, Product Management, Aquion Energy:
Aquion’s batteries are made using our unique environmentally-friendly Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI) chemistry. They contain no heavy metals or toxic chemicals, and are non-flammable and non-explosive. We have found that safety and sustainability resonates with our customers and sets us apart from traditional battery chemistries. The environmentally benign content of our batteries is especially important in developing nations that do not have robust recycling programs in place. If our batteries are landfilled or recycled by hand, this poses no danger to people and the environment.
The environmentally benign content of our batteries is especially important in developing nations that do not have robust recycling programs in place. If our batteries are landfilled or recycled by hand, this poses no danger to people and the environment
TowerXchange: What is the sweet spot for the battery in terms of grid availability?
Matt Maroon, Vice President, Product Management, Aquion Energy:
The sweet spot for Aquion batteries are sites that are off-grid and require long duration storage of anywhere from four hours to multiple days. The AHI chemistry in the battery is not negatively affected standing partially charged when the solar PV generation varies. This is a problem for lead acid batteries. Also high ambient temperature doesn’t affect the life of the Aquion batteries.
TowerXchange: How proven is the solution in the field? Who are your key clients and what results have been achieved relative to other batteries?
Matt Maroon, Vice President, Product Management, Aquion Energy:
Aquion has been shipping commercially for over two years and we have shipped over 30 MWhs of batteries to over 200 locations worldwide. We have a demonstration telecom site in Chile with Wireless Energy, three telecom installations in China - two that are grid-tied and one off-grid, and an off-grid telecom installation scheduled for South Africa in Q4 of this year. We also have numerous off-grid microgrid systems in the field that operate the same way a telecom system operates. Our batteries are paired with a solar array which carries the load during the day and charges the batteries. The batteries are discharged to feed the overnight energy loads and during periods of cloud cover. The systems include a diesel generator for emergency backup. For more examples of our projects in the field, including an off-grid microgrid project for ecotourism lodges in Kenya, an off-grid farm in Hawaii, visit our blog at blog.aquionenergy.com.
TowerXchange: What kind of maintenance do the batteries require and what is their lifespan?
Matt Maroon, Vice President, Product Management, Aquion Energy:
Our batteries are sealed and maintenance-free. We expect 8+ years of life in the field when they are daily cycling with deep discharge. Aquion batteries are high temperature tolerant, and can operate from -5? to 40? with no HVAC required. On the high end that’s 40? averaged over 24 hours. The batteries are robust and abuse tolerant; they can sit at partial states of charge without degradation, they do not require a trickle charge, and they are designed to daily deep cycling which makes them an ideal match for long-duration solar self-consumption applications. They are long-lasting, 2-3 times that of lead acid, and therefore require fewer replacements.
TowerXchange: What warranty and sales support do you offer?
Matt Maroon, Vice President, Product Management, Aquion Energy:
We offer a standard 8 year warranty. We have a sales team that covers the global market, as well as partners that distribute, design, and install systems worldwide.
TowerXchange: How does the TCO of an energy system incorporating your solution compare to systems incorporating other batteries?
Matt Maroon, Vice President, Product Management, Aquion Energy:
Given that our batteries can cycle to 100% depth of discharge, are temperature tolerant, and last 2-3 times as long as lead acid, we have found that Aquion-based hybrid storage systems deliver a lower TCO over lead acid. Our batteries operate with most solar charge controllers on the market so they can be installed at existing sites to replace lead acid batteries.
