Morningstar Expands Its Energy Storage Partner Program

Newtown, PA : At the nation’s largest solar event, Morningstar Corporation announced that its Energy Storage Partner™ program (ESP) is now approaching 20 battery brands, including industry leaders such as Trojan and SimpliPhi, international players such as Australia’s PowerPlus Energy, specialty suppliers including Lithionics, RELiOn and Discover, and many others.

ESP, launched at Solar Power International in 2018, makes it easier than ever for solar system designers and installers to use lithium and other advanced-technology batteries in new systems or drop them into existing ones, with performance confirmed and all settings pre-determined and provided to installers free-of-charge.

“With the battery manufacturer and charge controller brand in alignment up-front, installers no longer need to be frustrated by being ‘ping ponged’ between companies while trying to determine how to deploy advanced storage—Morningstar and the battery partners have done their homework for them, in advance and with verified documentation,” explains company founder and president Lee Gordon. “As a 25+ year leader in charge controlling technology, Morningstar is in a unique position to make integrating advanced energy storage easier than ever.”

According to numerous industry studies, energy storage represents the driving growth segment in solar. Residential storage alone in North America has a projected Combined Annual Growth Rate of over 80% between now and 2021. Both off-grid and grid-connected energy storage will experience comparable growth in rural, security, communications and other applications.

“SPI itself is now marketed as the largest ‘solar plus storage’ event,” notes Lee Gordon. “If storage is indeed our growth engine, then it’s a natural area for Morningstar to lead. We’re recognized throughout the industry as the experts in solar charging since 1993, we’ve sold over four million products in that category, and our charging portfolio today includes some 30 models spanning 12 product lines. As storage goes mainstream, it’s inevitable that battery companies will want expert collaboration for more seamless integration into complete systems. And that’s why we originally developed, and are now growing, our ESP initiative.”

Morningstar will present an educational talk on the subject called “Upgrading New and Existing Systems with Lithium Batteries – How to do It without Anxiety” on Wednesday, September 25th from 12:00 to 1:00 PM MDT, in Storage Central Theater booth 2901.

See Morningstar’s innovation, technology and products in Salt Lake City, booth 4629, September 22-26.

About Morningstar Corporation

With well over 4 million products installed and sold since 1993—in some of the most extreme environments and mission-critical applications in the world—Morningstar Corporation is truly “the world’s leading supplier of solar controllers and inverters.” The US-based privately-owned company is headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, with an engineering research and development center in Maryland and a global network of dedicated, best-in-class distribution and manufacturing partners.

About the Energy Storage Partner brands

(listed in alphabetical order)

1. Battle Born Batteries, Reno, NV specializes in rugged, high-quality and high-value lithium-iron phosphate deep-cycle batteries for active applications including RV, marine, overland/van and off-grid, in bundled solutions with other essential solar system components.

2. Blue Planet Energy, Honolulu, HI, is known for complete, cost-effective energy storage systems built for and proven in one of the leading solar markets in the United States: Hawaii. Their proprietary Blue Ion BMU battery management system ensures long life and maximizes battery protection.

3. Discover Battery, Richmond, BC Canada. A world leader in designing and manufacturing transportation, motive power and advanced energy storage solutions.

4. Dragonfly Energy, Reno, NV is dedicated to popularizing green, renewable energy by developing more efficient lithium batteries through improved manufacturing and assembly technology. The company is known for both standard and customized battery packs for specific project use.

5. Fortress Power in Southampton, PA has a decade of experience in complete, user-friendly, economical energy storage solutions for homeowners and other users. With home safety a priority, they pair lithium ferric phosphate technology with high system design and manufacturing standards.

6. genZ Energy in Western Australia specializes in a wide range of lithium batteries designed to perform in the extreme environment of the Australian outback. Because of their reputation, they are a leading brand among governmental departments, state police forces as well as home users.

7. Iron Edison of Denver, CO is known for their leading-edge update of Thomas Edison’s original nickel-iron battery technology—an ideal replacement for lead-acid with high reliability, long service life, and lower cost. They also make lithium iron phosphate models for home and commercial use.

8. KiloVault Lithium Batteries are distributed by Alternative Energy Store, Inc. Boxborough, MA, an on-line solar distributor for consumers and professionals. Designed for demanding hybrid and off-grid applications, their HLX series is engineered for more efficient, zero-maintenance use.

9. Lithionics Battery in Clearwater, FL serves multiple markets including EVs and RVs, marine, industrial and residential with unique, made-to-order batteries. Advanced, proprietary monitoring and protection features include NeverDie BMS and inherently safer organic lithium iron-phosphate chemistry.

10. Lithium Werks BV, Hengelo, The Netherlands, unique U-Charge® technology enables twice the run time and up to 10 times more cycles at 2/3 the weight of similar sized lead-acid battery modules, making them an ideal replacement/upgrade solution. Their unique built-in battery management system provides complete communications and control.

11. NEC Energy Solutions, Westborough, MA. Widely recognized as a pioneer and leader in the market for utility scale energy storage, NEC’s ALM series is ideal for tough, critical off-grid applications.

12. Northstar (distributed by Two Explorers LLC, Republic, MO) specializes in advanced lead and hybrid technologies to meet the unique demands of high-cycle off-grid sites in telecommunications, data center UPS back-up, and other mission-critical applications where failure simply isn’t an option.

13. PowerPlus Energy, Bayswater, Vic Australia. Precision-crafted in Australia, Powerplus batteries represent a reliable storage solution for AC and DC-coupled, on and off-grid solar systems.

14. Pylon Technologies Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China, is an emerging lithium battery brand for storage and transportation uses, and unique with an entirely vertically-integrated manufacturing chain. Their advanced US2000B Plus is designed for flexible integration into systems with hybrid inverters.

15. RELiON, Charlotte, SC. Specializing in a wide range of unique, integrated energy storage products, RELiON’s wide line provides a popular drop-in replacement/upgrade solution for lead-acid.

16. Sentry Lithium Range batteries from Sealed Performance Batteries (SPB) in Queensland, Australia, are of premium design with high certification levels and advanced communications capabilities, with on-board Bluetooth for monitoring. Many are fully IEC Certified on both the BMS and cells.

17. SimpliPhi Power, Oxnard, CA. Field proven for 15+ years with roots in off-grid power for the film industry and military. The brand’s PHI batteries set a standard for performance, safety and reliability in high-profile commercial and residential energy system.

18. Trojan Battery Company, Santa Fe Springs, CA, is a venerable 90-year old brand that’s now a global supplier of deep-cycle batteries for wide ranging applications including renewable energy. Trojan’s new Trillium Intelligent lithium series has built-in diagnostics and extraordinary cycle life.

Source : itnewsonline