Developing international standards is vitally important to the growth of grid-scale energy storage systems. These systems can make it possible to feed power to the grid so that production need not be scaled up and down repeatedly to adjust to changing demand levels. They also absorb the over-generation from wind and solar-power facilities and release that power when needed. The MESA (Modular Energy Storage Architecture) Standards Alliance is an industry group of dozens of equipment vendors and utilities working together to grow the energy storage industry by developing an open, non-proprietary set of specifications and standards. Our goal is to accelerate interoperability, scalability, safety, quality, availability, and affordability in energy storage components and systems.

The Snohomish County PUD’s Hardeson substation includes the MESA 1A and 1B pilot projects (upper center of photo).

This standardization effort has two main aspects. The first is a software control platform that allows all equipment from different vendors to talk the same “language,” so that when one piece of equipment sends a command or transmits data, it is received and interpreted correctly by the intended recipient.

The second aspect is ensuring that the hardware that makes up an energy storage system (ESS)—the batteries, power converters, metering system, and the energy management system (EMS) − can be intelligently “plugged into” each other and the electrical system.

In turn, the ESS must be intelligently plugged into the utility’s existing information and operations technology. Without established standards, components and systems will come with proprietary connectors, and the process of plugging them together becomes a laborious task repeated for each new project, which will add to project cost and lead time.

The MESA Standards Alliance is currently providing two specifications:

• MESA-ESS is designed to let electric utilities or grid operators scale deployment of energy storage and manage energy storage assets and fleets of multi-vendor assets to meet specific needs and use cases with minimal custom engineering
• MESA-Device Specifications and SunSpec Energy Storage Model address how energy storage components within an energy-storage system communicate with each other and its operational components.

The Parker Hannifin 890GT-B 2 MW outdoor bidirectional power conversion system (PCS) converts ac grid power to dc to charge the batteries, and when necessary, inverts the battery power to ac to feed the grid.

In 2013, a number of the companies and organizations that would go on to become founding members of the MESA Standards Alliance began work on a series of pilot projects intended to demonstrate how the plug-and-play approach being developed would allow quickly commissioning new energy storage systems.

Their first energy storage project, MESA 1A, was a 1 MW, 500 kWh lithium-ion battery system installed at the Snohomish County Public Utility District’s Hardeson substation in Everett, Washington. Mitsubishi International supplied the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery modules to Parker Hannifin’s Energy Grid Tie division, which supplied the power inverter and battery system housing.

The battery modules contain 2,880 battery cells manufactured by Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture between GS Yuasa International Ltd. and Mitsubishi. 1Energy Systems LLC (now part of Doosan GridTech) developed the system control software and supplied systems integration services.

The 1 MW, 500-kWh MESA 1B project, installed immediately next to the 1A system also involved Parker Hannifin, which provided a MESA-compliant 890GT-B power conversion system; LG Chem Ltd. provided the lithium-ion battery, and Alstom Grid made its e-Terra control center software platforms MESA-compatible. Faculty from the University of Washington, who provided research expertise in electric power systems and computer science.

Based on the experience from these two projects, our company has implemented a MESA-Device compliant communications interface that is now standard in the 890 GT-B Power Conversion System (PCS) product line. The MESA interface has successfully been used in Parker-supplied PCSs with over 100 MW currently operating around the world.

The organizations that make up the MESA Standards Alliance share these objectives:

• Standardize communication and connections, which will accelerate interoperability and scalability of energy storage systems.
• Give electric utilities more choices by enabling multi-vendor, component-based energy storage systems.

• Reduce project-specific engineering costs, enabling a more robust energy storage market.
• Enable technology suppliers (from software developers to battery suppliers) to focus on their core competencies in producing quality, safe and cost-effective components.
• Reduce training costs and improve safety for field staff through standardization procedures for safety and efficiency.
• Expedite the development and industry deployment of storage-specific communication specifications, before submitting them to appropriate Standards Development Organizations (SDO).

Interest and acceptance of the MESA standards are expanding within the industry. “We are excited that MESA’s mission, to develop open, non-proprietary communication standards for grid-scale energy storage is gaining momentum,” says Margot Malarkey, program manager, MESA Standards Alliance. “The organization has tripled in membership since its founding in 2014, and currently has over 30 members with representation from all stakeholders in the energy storage industry including battery suppliers, energy-management system suppliers, power-conversion system suppliers, and utilities and IPPs. Through standardization, MESA let’s industry vendors focus on proprietary innovation and enable that innovation to come together at lower costs by reducing project-specific engineering. Parker Hannifin has a history working with energy storage systems. As a Founding Member of MESA, Parker was an early advocate for the importance of standards to accelerate the growth of the energy storage industry and has been instrumental in driving the efforts to the point where we are today.”

For more on the MESA Standards Alliance or participate in the technical working groups that are developing these industry standards, visit www.mesastandards.org

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Parker offers premium energy storage products, such as the batteries above, by leveraging cutting-edge controls and advanced cooling technologies as well as systems-level expertise.

Parker provided the power conversion inverters for the two AES Advancion battery-based energy storage systems. The Advancion technology enables better integration of energy from traditional and renewable energy sources such as solar and wind into the existing grid, and Parker’s inverter technology offers precise control of the energy supply to match demand, helping utility customers to improve grid stability and lower energy costs for consumers.

“Parker is proud to build on our long history of partnering with AES to improve regional grid reliability and advance the integration of renewable energy,” said Jim Hoelscher, General Manager of Parker’s Energy Grid Tie Division. “In Southern California, we supplied close to 40 megawatts of power conversion systems in a record turnaround time, demonstrating Parker’s expertise in supporting the completion of large-scale energy storage projects.”

Parker has delivered power conversion equipment for energy storage projects spanning North America, Europe, South America and the Asia Pacific regions, bringing its cumulative worldwide deployment to more than 350 MW.

“Parker has been a valuable partner since 2007 and was instrumental in our launch of the world’s first megawatt-scale lithium-ion battery energy storage system,” said Brett Galura, Vice President, AES Energy Storage. “Parker’s inverter technology continues to be an important, reliable and cost-competitive component of Advancion, as we develop and deliver reliable, flexible capacity for customers in California and around the world.”

Parker is able to offer superior energy storage products by leveraging cutting-edge controls and advanced cooling technologies as well as systems-level expertise. Product portfolio additions of climate-controlled lithium-ion battery containers, software solutions and the ability to provide full turn-key solutions further contribute to Parker’s growth in the market.

For more information on Parker’s energy storage products: www.parker.com/egt

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Parker Hannifin Corporation has announced that it has reached the final completion milestone for the AES Gener Cochrane energy storage project in Mejillones, Antofagasta Region, Chile.  This 20 megawatt (MW) energy storage project will provide spinning reserve and grid reliability services for the Norte Grande Interconnected System (Sistema Interconectado del Norte Grande or SING), one of Chile’s four separate electricity systems, which primarily supports mining operations in the northern region of the country. In addition to this project, Parker supplied the power conversion system for the AES Gener Los Andes 12 MW installation at the Norgener power station, which has been delivering improved grid reliability since 2009.

The Cochrane project, consisting of ten 2.2 MVA outdoor-rated 890GT-B PCS and 2-MW storage containers, was engineered and built at the Parker EGT division headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The new Cochrane project, consisting of ten 2.2 MVA outdoor-rated 890GT-B PCS and 2-MW storage containers, was engineered and built at the Parker EGT division headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Energy storage enables better integration of energy from both traditional and renewable energy sources such as solar and wind into the existing grid, and offers precise control of the energy supply to match demand, helping to improve grid stability and lower energy costs for consumers.

“We have a proven record of accomplishment in engineering and commissioning advanced battery energy storage systems around the world, and we look forward to meeting global demand for clean energy solutions for many years to come, ” said Jim Hoelscher, General Manager of Parker’s Energy Grid Tie Division. “Our power conversion systems are highly scalable and can be customized for many applications, making them ideal for use by AES, our longtime partner.”

Parker also offers an energy storage product that leverages cutting-edge controls and advanced cooling technologies, as well as systems-level expertise. Energy storage portfolio additions of climate-controlled Li-ion battery containers, system management software and the ability to provide full turn-key solutions is further contributing to Parker’s growth in the market.

“Parker has delivered a battery energy storage system based on the vision that AES Energy Storage and AES Gener conceived and that will offer complementary spinning reserves and grid stability services to those of the adjacent Angamos battery storage system in operation since 2009 said Luis Knaak , Vice President of Engineering and Construction for AES Gener.”

With more than 10 years of experience in the energy storage market and more than 40 years of experience in power electronics, Parker’s Energy Grid Tie Division is a leading diversified solution provider, designing, manufacturing and servicing power conversion systems across the globe. To date, Parker has deployed more than 315 MW of power conversion systems, making them one of the largest PCS suppliers for battery energy storage solutions in the world.

For more information on Parker’s energy storage products, visit the Parker Energy Grid Tie Division website at www.parker.com/egt.

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