ADS-TEC Energy commercial storage systems: Smart solutions for large-scale requirements
ADS-TEC Energy is a manufacturer of energy storage systems for the industrial and commercial use with a mission to drive and actively shape the energy transition with innovative solutions. With its energy storage systems, ADS-TEC Energy enables its customers to break their dependence on rising energy prices. What needs to be considered when selecting and planning such a solution? Find out here.
ADS-TEC Energy has been developing battery-based platform solutions for over 10 years and has long since established itself as a leading technology company in the market. In addition to batteries, ADS-TEC Energy’s product portfolio also includes electric charging solutions, providing an effective solution for coupling the electricity and transport sectors. ADS-TEC Energy’s products are designed in Germany and manufactured near Dresden, so they are completely made in Germany. The quality of ADS-TEC Energy’s products is the result of a balanced interaction between the battery cells and the battery management system. As a result, the manufacturer can guarantee up to 10 years of cell performance for its products.
ADS-TEC Energy: The Products
For the industrial and commercial storage, ADS-TEC Energy offers two product series. One is the PowerBooster, an outdoor battery system, and the other is the StorageRackSystem, a battery system designed for indoor use. Both the PowerBooster and StorageRackSystem batteries are equipped with the in-house, cloud-based Big-LinX® Energy software. It provides simple solutions for controlling and monitoring the battery system. The installed energy storage systems can be accessed worldwide via the Big-LinX® Energy Cloud using a smartcard secured VPN. This is particularly important for commissioning, service purposes and monitoring. In addition, the software enables system monitoring at cell level, which is important for the sustainability of ADS-TEC Energy’s commercial storage systems. This is because irregularities are detected promptly, and solutions can be found quickly. The following ADS-TEC Energy commercial storage systems can be found in the Memodo online shop:
| StoraXe SRS2543* | PowerBooster GSS0608 | PowerBooster GSS0813* | |
| Net capacity | 37.2 kWh | 78.7 kWh | 111.6 kWh |
| AC-power | 25 kW | 60 kW | 75 kW |
| Protection class | IP20 | IP55 | IP55 |
| Grid connection | 400 VAC, 3-phasig | 400 VAC, 3-phasig | 400 VAC, 3-phasig |
| Operating temperature range | 10 to 25 °C | -20 to +40 °C | -20 to +40 °C |
| Installation location | Indoor | Outdoor | Outdoor |
| Dimension (W x H x D) | 600 x 1600 x 800 mm | 1430 x 2500 x 940 mm | 1430 x 2500 x 940 mm |
| Weight (Fully equipped) | 350 kg | 1250 kg | 1400 kg |
* The SRS2543 will be available from the end of June 2023, the PowerBooster GSS0813 from the end of May 2023.
The matter of the smart meter & how to deal with it:
Depending on customer requirements, ADS-TEC Energy’s commercial storage systems can be used in different operating modes. However, the use of smart meters is necessary in all applications, only the number varies depending on the requirements. The following smart meters are approved for use with the manufacturer’s commercial storage systems:
- Siemens (PAC4200)
- Janitza (UMG 604-E)
This table shows which is the right smart meter:
| Self consumption optimisation | SolarLog | Peak shaving | Grid Relief | Charger Clearance | Emergency power | Scalability using multi master | |
| Siemens PAC4200 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Janitza UMG 604-E | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The most important difference between the two smart meters is the availability of the charger clearance function. This is important for the settings in the energy management system (EMS) and therefore plays a key role in the integration of DC charging poles. Only the Janitza UMG 604-E has this option. The smart meter is mandatory after the public grid and before each DC charger as well as before one or more wallboxes or charging poles. All other smart meters are only required for monitoring purposes only.
External EMS for ADS-TEC Energy commercial storage system? Not at all
The integrated Big-LinX® software can manage different operating cases, as shown in the table below. Optimally, Big-LinX® works in combination with up to five storage systems or different charging poles. If certain parameters need to be set, such as not using grid electricity to charge electric cars, ADS-TEC recommends Energy Smart1 as the EMS.
| Big-LinX® | Smart1 | |
| Self-consumption optimisation | Yes with 1 – 5 batteries | Yes with more than 5 batteries |
| Peak shaving | Yes with 1 – 5 batteries | Yes with more than 5 batteries |
| Peak shaving + Self-consumption optimisation | Yes with 1 – 5 batteries | Yes with more than 5 batteries |
| EV-Charger + Peak shaving + Self-consumption optimisation | Yes with 1 – 3 batteries and with a charging pole | Yes with more than 5 batteries and more charging poles |
The multiple applications can be set either on a time basis or with the State of Charge (SOC) function. For example, with the time variant, the customer can specify that consumption is always extremely high between 2pm and 7pm and that the storage system should focus on peak shaving during this period. The rest of the time, the focus is logically on optimising self-consumption. When using the SOC variant, for example, 40% of the power is always reserved for peak shaving (including grid charging), while the rest is used to optimise self-consumption.
ADS-TEC commercial storage systems: The products are already being used here.
ADS-TEC Energy solutions are (or have been) used in the following projects and are making their contribution to the energy transition.
- In 2021, the “car park of the future” was opened in the German city of Nuremberg, with 128 charging points powered by PV energy. N-Ergie’s project focuses on digitalisation and testing new charging concepts for city centres. The car park produces 100 kWp of PV power on its own roof. This energy is stored using a 112 kWh/100 kW ADS-TEC Energy battery system.
- In the ‘Electricity bank’ project, 18 residential and commercial customers were given virtual ‘bank accounts’ via an internet portal to access a 100-kWh district energy storage system. ADS-TEC Energy played a key role as the supplier of the container battery system and the Big-LinX® application, which allowed stored PV electricity to be bought and sold. The project won the Stadtwerke Award in 2016.
- The educational car parks at Esslingen high school in Germany have PV systems mounted on the carports. Surplus PV energy is stored in an ADS-TEC Energy outdoor storage system. The Mini-PowerBooster buffers a 30 kWp PV system installed on the roof with 60 kW/kWh. This is how the charging poles in the educational car park are supplied with electricity.
Conclusion
The storage systems from ADS-TEC Energy are suitable for various applications and are developed and produced in Germany. This applies in particular to the SRS2543 and the GSS0813 with its emergency power function. Both will be launched in mid-2023. What’s more, ADS-TEC Energy’s products can even eliminate the need for an external energy management system. For the most common applications, the in-house software solution Big-LinX® is sufficient.
Summary:
- The manufacturer’s headquarters and production facilities are located in Germany..
- The integrated Big-LinX® software takes care of standardised applications, otherwise the commercial storage systems are compatible with Smart1.
- Over its 10 years of existence, ADS-TEC Energy has already carried out a large number of successful reference projects.
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