Visitors to the Offgrid Energy stand at Cenex-LCV 2018 from 12th - 13th September will get the first opportunity to see the progress of a revolutionary new project. The "Silent Power Project" was started by Northern Powergrid's in-house innovation team.
Keen to investigate if using an electric vehicle equipped with a large battery can efficiently cut running costs, noise and CO2 emissions, during a power cut, the team initiated the concept to compare with the diesel generators currently used. A mock-up of the electric van with its new energy storage system will be on the stand ahead of a formal launch later this year.
When complete, the "Silent Power Project" will provide an additional tool to help Northern Powergrid keep the lights on for its 8 million customers across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
The project is a collaboration between three leading UK companies, pooling expertise and resources to deliver this transformative approach to providing temporary power supply to homes.
As well as Northern Powergrid, the project includes pioneering UK SMEs, Hyperdrive Innovation and Offgid Energy.
Hyperdrive, the Sunderland-based developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery technology has used its world-leading expertise in energy storage and integration to help deliver the ESS. Offgrid Energy, a leading supplier of off-grid solutions, has used its decade of alternative power expertise to provide a hybrid power solution that best meets the needs of the van.
Ross McFarlane, Innovation Project Manager at Northern Powergrid, commented: "This project will enable us to restore power quickly, quietly and cleanly for customers after a fault on the network, while we carry out necessary repairs. This will be particularly valuable in supporting people on our Priority Services Register who may be more dependent on electricity due to a disability or medical condition and could need greater assistance in a power cut. Our Silent Power Project will bring significant societal benefits, deliver on our commitment to innovate and help us better serve the most vulnerable members of our communities."
Stephen Irish, Founder and Managing Director at Commercial, Hyperdrive Innovation, said: "It has been a fantastic experience for the team at Hyperdrive to work with Northern Powergrid and Offgrid Energy to integrate our world-leading battery technology into this exciting project. The potential market for this type of backup energy storage system is huge. Along with electricity distributors, we believe there are other areas, including construction and major events that could benefit from this secure, environmentally-friendly and quiet portable power solution."
Danny Jones, Founder and CEO at Offgrid Energy, said: "We are very proud that our technology is able, not only to address air quality and carbon emissions but to also have a significant impact in reducing the cost of managing network faults. Doing so in a way that eliminates noise for consumers means that there are significant wins for all parties and that doesn't happen very often."
For further innovation about Northern Powergrid's range of innovation projects click here.
