Innovative Australian battery system certified internationally

Australian battery technology company Relectrify has announced that its ReVolve energy storage system, featuring its patented cell-level control technology, has achieved certification to comply with international safety standards and to specific grid connection codes. Relectrify will now supply its BMS+Inverter technology — a combined battery management system and inverter — to customers for grid interactive operation.

The ReVolve system combines Relectrify’s BMS+Inverter technology with battery packs from nine Nissan LEAF electric vehicles to store over 120 kWh of energy. The company says its certification marks a global first for a commercial and industrial scale storage product using cell-level control to be certified to the internationally recognised IEC standards. ReVolve is also the first integrated stationary battery energy storage product using repurposed second-life EV batteries to be certified for on-grid deployment in Australia.

Relectrify’s BMS+Inverter technology replaces conventional battery management systems and inverters with a single electronic system that controls individual cells to generate grid-compliant alternating current (AC) directly from a battery pack. This technology is said to revolutionise battery storage, increasing the battery lifetime by as much as a third, improving safety and reducing power electronic costs by up to 30% compared to conventional battery systems. The technology is suitable across residential, industrial and grid storage applications and has already been applied to a wide variety of battery types — new lithium-ion cells, second-life lithium-ion cells and non-lithium electro-chemistries.

“At Nissan Casting Plant Australia, we are proud to be introducing Relectrify’s ReVolve technology to our Nissan NODE circular economy project,” said Peter Jones, Managing Director of Nissan Casting Australia Plant. “Relectrify’s unique technology provides an innovative solution to utilise second-life EV batteries from the Nissan LEAF and I’m looking forward to having the Nissan NODE project fully operational at NCAP in the near future.”

The BMS+Inverter technology has already been deployed and validated by a number of technical projects, including with American Electric Power, Counties Energy New Zealand, Chubu Electric Japan and Nissan. The project received funding from ARENA as part of ARENA's Advancing Renewables Program. With the certifications, the company has proven that its technology can work safely and in accordance with strict global technology standards, creating a clear pathway to the surging energy storage markets in Europe and the United States.

“As an early adopter of Relectrify’s BMS+Inverter technology in a pilot program for a network scale battery system, we are thrilled to see that the Relectrify team has gained certification for grid connection,” said Moonis Vegdani, Group Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of Counties Energy, New Zealand. “Relectrify’s novel storage technology is designed to assist with integrating various types of distributed energy resources in a much safer, less expensive, and time-efficient way, while also meeting our sustainability objectives as we transition as a business to ultimately achieve carbon neutrality. Together with Relectrify, we look forward to bringing this technology to New Zealand this year.”

Relectrify worked with a leading US-based certifications institute to complete the battery validation to the broad range of standards, ensuring that the company’s energy storage technologies meet performance, reliability and safety criteria.

“We’re extremely proud to receive this strong validation that our technology is ready for widespread integration and global impact,” said Valentin Muenzel, CEO and Co-Founder of Relectrify. “The ReVolve demonstrates that our BMS+Inverter technology meets performance, safety and grid compliance needs, supporting the technology’s integration in collaborative projects with leading global battery companies for residential, industrial and grid-scale applications.”

Image caption: The ReVolve system, which combines Relectrify’s BMS+Inverter technology with battery packs from nine Nissan LEAF electric vehicles to store over 120 kWh of energy.