Redflow scores major telco sale

Energy storage company Redflow has scored its largest single sale of ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow batteries, worth around AU$800,000, for multiple sites in the Pacific Islands.

The batteries will be used for hybrid energy storage systems being built by New Zealand-based Hitech Solutions. Redflow partner Vertiv (formerly Emerson Network Power) will provide the batteries for Hitech’s systems designed to provide reliable, remote power to multiple sites in a Pacific Island nation. This first ZBM2 order from Hitech supports the first stage of a multiple-stage project.

Redflow CEO Simon Hackett said this major sector sale recognised the unique advantages of its batteries. The ZBM2 is suitable for replacing lead-acid batteries in remote site deployments, such as telecommunication sites. The battery runs natively at 48 VDC, making it simple to install. It is also easy to deploy in scalable parallel clusters for high-availability, high-scale deployments at the largest sites.

“The ZBM2 excels in hot environments, such as the tropics, for applications that require high cycle depth and cycle frequency, as in the deployment Hitech is planning. This sort of environment and application cycle kills lead-acid batteries in fairly short order, requiring their frequent replacement, whereas our batteries thrive on heat and hard work,” said Hackett.

Auckland-based Hitech Solutions provides telecommunications and infrastructure services in New Zealand and around the world. Hitech Solutions Chief Operations Officer Derek Gaeth said, “ZBM2 batteries are well suited to managing hybrid power, have a good charge/discharge profile and have a high tolerance of temperature variance, especially heat, which is important in the tropics.”

The order for Redflow’s zinc-bromine flow batteries supported Vertiv’s remote and black spot strategy for telecom, said Vertiv Managing Director Australia/New Zealand Robert Linsdell.