The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Second Empire State locale for zinc-air energy storage system Metal Tech News Weekly Edition – March 18, 2020
A technician works on Zinc8 zinc-air energy storage system.
Zinc8 Energy Solutions, formerly MGX Renewables Inc, March 11 announced it has signed an agreement to install a 100-kilowatt (kw), 1.5-megawatt-hour (MWh) zinc-air energy storage system in Brooklyn, New York.
Zinc-air energy storage is a three-part system that stores energy from renewable and other sources and then delivers electricity to the grid as needed.
Basically, energy is stored in the form of zinc particles that are roughly the size to grains of sand.
• When the system is delivering power, the zinc particles are combined with oxygen drawn from the surrounding air.
• The zinc oxide produced is stored in storage tanks containing a potassium hydroxide electrolyte.
• When the system is recharging, zinc particles are regenerated, and oxygen is returned to the surrounding air.
This groundbreaking energy storage solution won the New York Power Authority (NYPA) Innovation Challenge, which is resulting in Zinc8's first 100 kw, 1.5 MWh zinc-air energy storage system installation in New York State.
The installation in Brooklyn is part of a separate agreement Digital Energy Corp. – a New York-based developer of combined heat and power (CHP) plants, solar systems and microgrids – which outlines the first private sector deployment for Zinc8.
"This deployment marks a major milestone in Zinc8 Energy Solutions' path to full commercialization and underscores the growing demand for low-cost reliable long-duration energy storage," said Zinc8 Energy Solutions President and CEO Ron MacDonald.
The Zinc8 Energy storage system is being developed to support and enhance the economics of Digital Energy's CHP system in Brooklyn.
A C$2.5 million (US$1.8 million) financing for this private installation is supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), a New York State public-benefit corporation that promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources.
"Digital Energy and Integrated Energy Concepts (a New York engineering firm) are excited about working with Zinc8 Energy on the development and deployment of the Zinc8 energy storage system," said Digital Energy President and CEO William Cristofaro. "The Zinc8 system addresses several critical needs of on-site electric energy storage – price point economics, system robustness under real-world use, and safety. We see the Zinc8 system as very promising for integration into our existing and developing customer base of over 100 on-site power plants, solar systems, and microgrids."
Despite the endorsements from large power firms in New York, Zinc8 said several technological optimization opportunities still exist. The power storage innovation company said reducing hardware costs, enhancing system performance and field testing the zinc-airs storage with the grid and other applications will accelerate the growth of energy storage deployment.
"We are very pleased to be working with the well-respected US interconnect company Digital Energy Corp. who believes, as we do, that this new technology will open up a huge global opportunity for behind-the-meter, microgrid and utility-scale long-duration energy storage," said Zinc8 Energy Solution President and CEO Ron MacDonald.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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