Viridi, Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner for grid resilience research
U.S. Department of Energy research facility Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has chosen fail-safe battery energy storage system (BESS) manufacturer Viridi as its latest research partner, the company says.
Aiming to advance grid resilience and reliability on a national level, the partnership will look into next-generation utility grid technologies and grid modernization, according to Viridi representatives.
The company will participate as a testing platform, operating as part of the Department of Energy’s resource integration and evaluation project at the ORNL Grid Research Innovation and Development Center (GRID-C) in Tennessee.
“This project bridges an important gap by integrating real electrical equipment to understand realistic performance challenges, proving the robustness of ORNL’s new control strategies and AC/DC architecture for supporting the future grid,” says Dr. Madhu Sudhan Chinthavali, electrical systems integration program manager at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “Viridi’s battery integrated seamlessly with our management system, and its engineering team supported our researchers throughout testing and integration, making them a valuable partner.”
Demand for electrical generation is continuing to grow, making batteries and storage systems crucial pieces of American infrastructure. As utility companies around the U.S. continue to feel the pressure, safe and resilient solutions are a top priority.
Meeting spiking demand with safe solutions
The ability to coordinate energy storage across multiple grid components has become one of the most important capabilities in the energy sector. Viridi CEO Jon M. Williams says that meeting that requirement is a massive point of pride for his battery firm.
“Being selected by Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support the project is a milestone for Viridi and a validation of what we have built,” he says. “When a DOE national lab chooses your technology to support their research, it is the highest bar a battery system can meet.
“We built Viridi’s fail-safe BESS to perform in exactly these kinds of environments, and we are proud to be partnering with ORNL to advance the grid modernization solutions that utilities across the country need.”
The collaboration between Viridi and the Department of Energy “marks the beginning of an ongoing research relationship,” company officials say. For Viridi’s part, the collaboration is a massive step forward in mission advancement, as the firm aims to bring safe and reliable storage to critical infrastructure.
Viridi’s RPS 150 battery system is now installed at the GRID-C Power Distribution Field Test site, supporting Department of Energy research. Testing has concluded as of July 28, with the ORNL expected to present research findings in the coming months.
