247Solar Inc and STAG-Tech have announced a collaboration agreement to combine STAG-Tech’s innovative compact wind turbines with 247Solar’s HeatStorE™ long-duration thermal battery to provide turnkey, round-the-clock clean power solutions for a wide range of off-grid applications such as mine sites.
STAG-Tech’s turbines capture the fastest wind speeds at significantly lower cost than conventional large turbines, according to the company. Packed into a 40 ft (12.1 m) shipping container, STAG-Tech’s turbines can be transported to all but the most remote locations via standard freight truck. Minimal concrete foundations make installation fast and affordable, with the tilt-up turbines able to be raised in under an hour, lowered again for storm protection, and easily relocated, preventing stranded assets, STAG-Tech added.
247Solar’s HeatStorE operates almost like an electrochemical battery but has significant advantages at longer durations, according to the company. Electric resistance coils use electricity from wind or photovoltaic (PV) installations to heat inexpensive silica sand. Energy is thereby stored as ultra-high temperature heat (up to 1,000℃) for up to 20 hours at a fraction of the cost of batteries. When needed, a specialised turbine reconverts the heat to electricity.
“Uniquely, 247Solar’s innovative turbine can do this without combustion, as atmospheric-pressure air is passed through the thermal storage and heated to sufficient temperature to drive the turbine and generate electricity without burning fuel,” the company said.
By adding an external combustor, the battery can produce fully dispatchable backup power 24/7 hours a day, 365 days a year by also burning a variety of fuels, including hydrogen. This enables customers to replace traditional diesel gensets at remote locations and realise 24/7 highly reliable operation with increased renewables penetration, significant fuel savings and dramatically lower lifetime operating costs, 247Solar said.
“Together, the two systems provide an excellent complement to solar PV, enabling customers to reduce their reliance on costly electrochemical batteries and diesel gensets, thereby drastically reducing their Levelised Cost of Energy,” the companies said.
Sean Zamick, STAG-Tech CEO, said: “We are very pleased to be working with 247Solar, a fellow distributed energy innovator. Our first planned collaboration will be the first of many exciting projects to help reduce electricity costs, greenhouse gas emissions and improve the reliability of C&I microgrids around the world.”
Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247Solar, said: “STAG-Tech shares our goal of producing low-cost, factory-built emissions-free energy solutions that are scalable, easy to install and inexpensive to maintain. We look forward to working with them at mines, industrial sites and rural electrification projects throughout the world.”
