Siemens and AES joint venture Fluence has unveiled its sixth-generation energy storage technology stack combining factory-built hardware, advanced software and data-driven intelligence.
The JV said that the new technology creates the foundation for three purpose-built systems, Gridstack, Sunstack and Edgestack, which are configured for grid, renewable and commercial and industrial applications, respectively.
Gridstack is a utility-scale system designed for demanding grid applications, such as T&D enhancement, frequency regulation and capacity peak power.
Sunstack is a PV-optimised, co-located system designed to improve and expand the capabilities of solar generation with firm renewable energy delivery and additional grid services.
Edgestack is a commercial and industrial system designed to support 500kW-plus applications.
All the new technology includes three components Fluence IQ, Fluence Operating System and Fluence Cube.
The IQ segment provides digital intelligence engines that use data and machine learning to improve system decision-making, manage battery degradation, reduce operating costs and optimize energy market dispatch.
The operating system is a fully-integrated platform that combines comprehensive controls, system visibility and asset management to improve asset performance at a single site or across entire fleets.
The cube is a factory-assembled building block that is four to five times more modular than traditional systems, the company said.
Fluence chief technology officer Brett Galura said: “Energy storage applications require highly flexible systems that can be tailored to specific markets and customer needs.
“Until now, customers were forced to choose between custom-built solutions or inflexible, vertically integrated products.
“This sixth-generation technology combines our proprietary dataset – among the industry’s largest – and our deep industry experience to deliver unparalleled intelligence and flexibility, while adding the benefits of mass production to standardise safety features and significantly reduce the time and cost needed to deploy energy storage.
“Over the past decade, Fluence has reduced the total cost of energy storage systems by 90%; our new technology stack focuses on driving down the non-battery costs of energy storage systems by up to 25%, while empowering gigawatt-sized deployments.”
Fluence has already been selected by leading customers such as Enel, LS Power, sPower and Siemens for 800MW of projects using the new technology.