STAG-Tech and ARE Member 247Solar to collaborate for round-the-clock wind power
3 August 2021 – ARE Member 247Solar Inc., a US-based spinoff of MIT, along with UK-based STAG-tech, a supplier of low-cost, containerised wind turbines, today announced a collaboration agreement to combine STAG-Tech’s innovative compact wind turbines with 247Solar’s HeatStorE™ long-duration thermal battery to provide turnkey, round-the-clock clean power solutions for a wide range of off-grid applications.
STAG-Tech’s innovative, lightweight turbines capture the fastest wind speeds at significantly lower cost than conventional large turbines. Packed into a 40-foot shipping container, STAG-Tech’s turbines can be transported to all but the most remote locations via standard freight truck. Minimal concrete foundations make installation fast and affordable. The tilt-up turbines can be raised in under an hour, lowered again for storm protection, and easily relocated, preventing stranded assets.
247Solar’s HeatStorE operates almost like an electrochemical battery but has significant advantages at longer durations. Electric resistance coils use electricity from wind or PV to heat inexpensive silica sand. Energy is thereby stored as ultra-high temperature heat (up to 1000℃/1850℉) for up to 20 hours at a fraction of the cost of batteries. When needed, a specialized turbine reconverts the heat to electricity. Uniquely, 247Solar’s innovative turbine can do this without combustion, as atmospheric-pressure air is passed through the thermal storage and heated to sufficient temperature to drive the turbine and generate electricity without burning fuel.
By adding an external combustor, the battery can produce fully dispatchable backup power 24/7/365 by also burning a variety of fuels, including hydrogen. This enables customers to replace traditional diesel gensets at remote locations and realize 24/7 highly reliable operation with increased renewables penetration, significant fuel savings, and dramatically lower lifetime operating costs.
Together, the two systems provide an excellent complement to solar PV, enabling customers to reduce their reliance on costly electrochemical batteries & diesel gensets, thereby drastically reducing their Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE).
“We are very pleased to be working with 247Solar, a fellow distributed energy innovator. Our first planned collaboration will be the first of many exciting projects to help reduce electricity costs, GHG emissions, and improve the reliability of C&I microgrids around the world,” says Sean Zamick, STAG-Tech CEO.
Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247Solar, says, “STAG-Tech shares our goal of producing low-cost, factory-built emissions-free energy solutions that are scalable, easy to install and inexpensive to maintain. We look forward to working with them at mines, industrial sites and rural electrification projects throughout the world.”