One of a Hawaii-based startup accelerator’s 2015 participants, Spider9, has signed a licensing agreement with the major South Korean technology corporation Samsung. Spider9 makes smart controllers that improve the performance of larger battery systems. Spider9’s OSE technology, which is a software, data, and control platform, can save money and improve profits for stationary energy storage systems.
“OSE allows us to reduce the lifetime costs of battery-based storage by up to 40%. We see this agreement with Samsung as validation that our technology has real and far-reaching value to the battery market, both inside and outside of the stationary energy markets,” said Spider9 CEO Glynne Townsend.
The company’s technology tracks the performance of every battery cell, which allows it to predict cell failures before they happen. Problem cells can be dealt with before they fail, which means a whole battery can function better. Spider9 also says its smart technology can extract up to 30% more energy from a battery cell and prevent thermal runaway, which can improve battery safety.
Spider9 also makes energy storage products using advanced controls and lithium-ion cells. One line of such products is called SpiderVault. Three products are available, offering 21.6 kWh, 28.8 kWh, or 36 kWh. They can be used for homes or businesses to increase solar self- consumption, act as backup power, and decrease utility demand charges. They could also be used to go completely off-grid.
That is not the only physical product Spider9 makes for energy storage, though. Another product line is called Spider Rack Pro. This one is an 86 kWh energy storage unit that works in conjunction with the software, control, and data platform. It is modular, meaning it can be combined with more units to increase energy storage capacity. This product is appropriate for commercial, industrial, and utility-scale applications. Each unit weighs 2,315 pounds and is about 8 feet wide and 8 feet high.
A battery startup might not get as much as attention as solar or wind technology, but energy storage is a critical piece of the renewable energy future.
(This news story is from Clean Technica)
