Vancouver: Vancouver-based Zinc8 Energy Solutions announced March 11 a Deployment Agreement with Digital Energy Corp, a New York-based private sector developer of Combined Heat and Power plants, solar systems and microgrids, for the installation of a 100kW/1.5MWh Zinc-Air Energy Storage System in Brooklyn.
The Zinc8 Energy Storage System will support and enhance the economics of a CHP system currently operating at Brooklyn, New York. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is financially supporting the project deployment of CAD $2.5 Million, with a CAD $600,000 contribution as the result of a call for proposals. In addition, NYSERDA has chosen Digital Energy Corp, and Zinc8 as the Energy Storage System manufacturer to demonstrate the economics and reliability of Zinc8’s patented zinc-air battery technology designed for low-cost long-duration storage in behind-the-meter applications.
Based on unique patented zinc-air battery technology, the Zinc8 ESS is a modular energy storage system designed to deliver power in the range of 20kW – 50MW with capacity of 8 hours of storage duration or higher. Energy is stored in the form of zinc particles, similar in size to grains of sand. When the system is delivering power, the zinc particles are combined with oxygen drawn from the surrounding air. When the system is recharging, zinc particles are regenerated, and oxygen is returned to the surrounding air. Operating in a way similar to a flow battery, the system can enabled to provide more storage simply by enlarging the fuel tank.