NZ’s Powerco’s Base Power Using SimpliPhi Batteries

U.S. energy storage manufacturer SimpliPhi appears to have made its mark across the ditch with our Kiwi cousins.

SimpliPhi Power has announced its battery solutions have been rolled out in New Zealand by Powerco as part of the electricity distributor’s all-in-one off-grid renewable energy unit named Base Power.

Powerco, New Zealand’s second largest electricity distributor by customer connections, is offering Base Power to some of its remote rural customers as an alternative electricity supply in scenarios where upgrading the electricity network and improving supply is not cost effective.

Base Power consists of a solar panel array sized to the customer’s needs, a diesel generator for use in prolonged unfavourable weather, battery storage and the bits ‘n bobs needed to make these all work together; providing what Powerco says is “urban quality power”.

“We know that power cuts are disruptive for people and we know some remote rural areas are prone to repeated and prolonged power cuts,” said Powerco Electricity Commercial Manager Eric Pellicer in August. “We see Base Power as a way to give our most remote customers a reliable power supply no matter the conditions, without having to rely solely on traditional power poles and lines.”

The energy storage aspect of Base Power is comprised of SimpliPhi PHI 3.4 batteries; a modular solution with each battery having 3.4 kWh capacity and a built in Battery Management System (BMS).

Powerco has apparently been trialing the system for several years and has initially approved 20 new units over the next 12 months.

SimpliPhi CEO Catherine Von Burg says the PHI batteries offer 98 percent efficiency and have a long cycle life due to the company’s proprietary architecture and manufacturing processes. SimpliPhi batteries are based on lithium ferro phosphate chemistry; considered the safest of the lithium-ion technologies.

“We do not utilize cobalt-based lithium-ion chemistry. By eliminating the toxicity and hazards characteristic of cobalt, our solutions are able to perform in remote, harsh environments without the risk of catastrophic failure due to thermal runaway or fires,” says Ms. Von Burg.

If you’re interested in learning more about PHI, SQ’s intrepid blogger Ronald took a closer virtual look at SimpliPhi batteries back in June. SolarQuotes has also included SimpliPhi in its solar battery comparison table, where you can see how they stack up, spec by spec, against other battery systems.