PRESS RELEASE
February 19, 2013
Austin, TX and Seoul, South Korea –
Samsung SDI, an affiliate of Samsung Group, and Xtreme Power, a privately held Austin, TX company, today announced that they have been selected by the Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies (CCET) to install a 1MW/1MWh Lithium Ion based Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) system at the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock, Texas as part of a Smart Grid Demonstration Project (SGDP). The $27 million demonstration project jointly funded by CCET partners and the US Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 managed by CCET. The SGDP is known as Discovery Across Texas, Technology Solutions for Wind Integration in ERCOT. BESS will be owned and operated by South Plains Electric Cooperative (SPEC) as one of several project technologies to serve the SGDP objectives of wind integration.
The Samsung SDI and Xtreme Power BESS will be connected to SPEC’s distribution grid at the Reese Technology Center as part of an ongoing wind technology program managed by GroupNIRE and Texas Tech University. The BESS will focus on combing utility scale energy storage with wind generation. Potential uses for the BESS include mitigating intermittent fluctuations of a number of nearby wind turbines, regulating the distribution bus voltage, serving as spinning reserve, and providing frequency support during the loss of generation.
The project marks the first order for the newly formed Samsung SDI / Xtreme Power alliance. Coupling Samsung SDI’s Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO) battery with Xtreme Power’s Xtreme Active Control Technology™ (XACT™) the two firms have partnered to create an optimal energy storage solution for renewable integration and grid support.
Samsung SDI is the world leading supplier of Lithium-Ion batteries producing over 1B cells annually, and total revenue exceeding $5B. The LMO battery provides industry leading safety, quality, high energy densities, and cost competitiveness. The same battery is being utilized by leading automobile companies in the USA and Europe in their electric vehicles. This state-of-the-art technology together with XACT’s millisecond response time will enable renewable generation to attain higher levels of penetration on the grid, as well as supply ideal grid support services, such as frequency response, voltage support and ramp rate control. Xtreme Power and Samsung SDI will focus on key markets seeking to realize ambitious renewable goals and promote a cleaner electric grid.
"Taking part in the CCET project gave us yet another chance to demonstrate our expertise in matching power storage with renewable power generation, which is vital for realizing our green energy future. We are honored to work with Samsung SDI to bring a reliable, efficient, and cost friendly solution to the energy storage and power management market,” said Alan Gotcher, Chief Executive Officer of Xtreme Power. “Our XACT control platform, which can be integrated with the full range of battery technologies, will break new ground in the industry when paired with Samsung’s unique technology.”
Xtreme Power’s XACT platform is unmatched in its ability to provide high power output within fifty milliseconds accurately and precisely without infringing upon safety protocols. This exclusive venture will enable Xtreme Power and Samsung SDI to offer a versatile product capable of not only enhancing the value of renewable generation, but also increasing the reliability of the electric grid.
“We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the CCET BESS project to demonstrate the value of integrating energy storage with renewables. Also, the strong combination of Samsung SDI and Xtreme Power will provide customers with solutions meeting their unique needs in energy storage backed by significant experience and capabilities in lithium-ion batteries and system integration,” said Y.C. Yoon, EVP and Head of Energy Solutions of Samsung SDI.