Strong points :
- Paragon and Consortium for Battery Innovation will develop transportable, rugged lead-acid battery energy storage systems that can be integrated into tactical microgrids and demonstrated at the Base Integration Training Evaluation Center. emergency (CBITEC) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
- Implementation of the systems will be to NATO specifications and, if successful, would allow for deployment in many different countries.
The US military has chosen advanced lead-acid battery energy storage systems to improve its operational efficiency in disaster areas and in combat. A project led by Paragon Solutions and the Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) is delivering a new set of systems capable of delivering power for critical military operations around the world.
Paragon, an engineering company, partnered with CBI, a US-based global lead-acid battery research center, to develop the winning proposal in response to a request to CEED members from the Consortium Management Group (CMG). The effort is sponsored by the US government.
Paragon and CBI will develop transportable, rugged lead-acid battery energy storage systems that can be integrated into tactical microgrids and demonstrated at the Emergency Base Integration Training Evaluation Center (CBITEC ) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
CBI’s official statement said the eighteen-month, $3.5 million program also aims to demonstrate how U.S. Army units can use lead-acid batteries from the Department of Defense’s supply system. Defense and locally available sources such as vehicles, while increasing the life cycle of some batteries. types to meet the energy needs of the battlefield.
Retired Army Captain and Government Technical Lead for this project, Tom Decker, said, “This is an important project for the Army because in any type of emergency environment, in a combat situation or in the aftermath of a natural disaster, it all falls on the Army Corps of Engineers to provide the power to continue operations.And that’s where lead-acid batteries come in.
CBI mentioned that the implementation of the systems will be done according to NATO specifications and, if successful, would allow deployment in many different countries. This solution aims to overcome problems with host nation power grids by designing an energy storage system that accepts host nation power, stores it, and then delivers it in a form compatible with military equipment. American.
Project development
The Paragon and CBI team will develop energy storage systems providing between 125 kWh and 250 kWh of critical energy using three different lead-acid battery technologies supplied by US-based battery manufacturers, Advanced Battery Concepts (ABC), East Penn Manufacturing and EnerSys. These operational workhorses will be transportable, easy to use by military personnel, and can be integrated into tactical microgrids to provide power to critical loads.
CBI said the project team will also develop a 30 kWh plug-and-play energy storage system. Marcus Ferguson, CBITEC Site Manager, said: “After Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, approximately 130,000 damaged vehicles were idle with an untapped power source: lead-acid batteries. If this energy could be harvested, future disaster relief and other military operations, wherever located in the world, could be supplied with reliable, low-cost energy.”
According to CBI, prototype lead-acid battery energy storage systems will be built and tested in various simulated duty cycles to recreate typical field conditions for military operations. The goal is to develop systems that could be deployed throughout the US military.
CBI Project Manager Dr Matt Raiford added: “Lead acid batteries were chosen for this important project because of their resilience, consistent performance at all temperatures and affordability. This will set a benchmark for smaller microgrids providing essential power and security in a range of settings from remote rural areas to large military installations.
