Maxwell supercapacitors pave the way for smart grids

On March 31, the 2014 Global Smart Grid Summit and the 4th China International Smart Grid Construction Technology and Equipment Exhibition opened in Beijing. Mr. Lu Jie, the key account manager of Maxwell Technology Company in China, discussed the development achievements of smart grids with power workers from more than a dozen countries and regions around the world at the forum themed "Smart Power Distribution and Electric Energy Measurement Management", and shared successful cases of supercapacitor applications in various aspects of smart grids.

As the use of renewable energy and the proportion of grid power provided by renewable energy continue to increase, grid stability becomes an important issue. Take solar output, for example. Solar power generation is a source of electricity with a large output variation. The slightest cloud can cause a large change in output power within five minutes, and a 40% output change in one minute. Local disturbances to the grid caused by changes in wind and solar output not only bring instability to the grid and affect end users, but also lead to low utilization of these energy sources. Maxwell ultracapacitor energy storage devices can provide low-cost, reliable instantaneous power to help meet these challenges. It can effectively balance loads and reduce power fluctuations, not only supporting a higher proportion of solar power generation, but also maintaining power quality. With only 20 seconds of energy storage, Maxwell ultracapacitor energy storage devices can increase the proportion of solar power generation to 40% without load shedding tripping.

In the energy storage system of the power grid, there are different solutions according to the duration of the peak-shaving and valley-filling requirements. At present, long-term fluctuations from a few minutes to a few hours are mostly solved by batteries. However, for battery energy storage, the peaks and valleys of the power grid are the biggest damage to its life. Supercapacitors can form an effective combination with batteries: supercapacitors are responsible for peak-shaving and valley-filling, and batteries are responsible for the relatively stable period of time.

A typical example of supercapacitors ensuring grid stability at the user end is the application of electric cranes at Shanghai Yangshan Deepwater Port. Shanghai Baosteel Anda Power Quality Co., Ltd. has installed 126 Maxwell 125V heavy-duty transport modules in its power system. The power system is responsible for operating 26 ship-to-shore cranes used to load and unload container ships at Yangshan Deepwater Port (a national super-large port connected to the land by a 20-mile-long bridge). This installation is one of the largest supercapacitor installations in the world (the largest in Asia), which can stabilize the voltage for the cranes and alleviate power output fluctuations, thereby achieving uninterrupted operation.

Multiple high-power variable voltage variable frequency (VVVF) cranes operating simultaneously can create peaks in power demand that can overload the local power grid. A supercapacitor-based power system can buffer these peaks, minimizing the impact on the grid. Maxwell's heavy-duty transport modules provide high-impact power for voltage sag applications more efficiently than batteries, and have a long service life, operating efficiently for up to 10 years with little or no maintenance. The heavy-duty transport modules include balancing, monitoring, and thermal management capabilities, so the supercapacitor modules can quickly and repeatedly charge and discharge while maintaining high reliability and long service life.

The fundamental value of the Maxwell ultra-capacity energy storage module used by Yangshan Deepwater Port is that it can reduce the voltage fluctuations of the power grid caused by the simultaneous operation of port cranes, and avoid the high cost of building larger capacity transmission lines. At the same time, the technical parameters and reliability of the Maxwell ultra-capacity energy storage module also help the continued operation of Yangshan Deepwater Port.

At present, the installed capacity of supercapacitors in the world has exceeded 11GW. Due to their long service life, high power and excellent charge and discharge cycle, they have become an ideal energy storage solution to enhance the output of renewable energy devices. Lv Jie said that Maxwell hopes to jointly solve the problem of new energy grid connection and improve the quality of the power grid through industry cooperation, and promote the integrated development of global smart grids.

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About Maxwell Technologies

As a market leader and pioneer, Maxwell Technologies has been committed to providing innovative, low-cost energy storage and power delivery solutions. Our ultracapacitor products provide safe and reliable power solutions for applications such as consumer and industrial electronics, automotive, transportation and information technology. Our high-voltage capacitor products help ensure the safety and reliability of power infrastructure and other applications such as high-voltage power transmission, distribution and measurement. Our low-emission microelectronics include power modules, memory modules and single-board computers, all of which use powerful commercial silicon to achieve excellent performance and high reliability in aerospace applications. For more information, please visit www.maxwell.com.