Average reading time for this story is 1 minutes
Australian energy storage company Redflow Limited has received a second order for its ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow batteries for deployment by New Zealand’s Rural Connectivity Group (RCG).
Redflow, which supplied an initial eight batteries for use by RCG in November 2019, has received a follow on order for an additional 10 batteries for installation at two new off-grid RCG telecommunications transmission towers in the North Island of New Zealand. Local RCG partner Switchboard Services has placed the order and will undertake ZBM2 installation works.
This repeat order follows the successful installation and commissioning of Redflow’s ZBM2 batteries at two RCG towers late last year.
Redflow Managing Director and CEO Tim Harris said this order for ZBM2 batteries at further RCG sites demonstrated the benefits that Redflow’s zinc-bromine flow battery technology delivered to telecommunications companies. “These benefits include long-life performance, heat-tolerance and theft-resistance,” he said.
“This builds on the interest and demand we have seen from Vodacom and Moropa in South Africa and Optus in Australia last year. We are extremely pleased to continue to solidify our product positioning as an energy storage technology of choice in the telecommunications market for off-grid and weak grid environments.”
The RCG programme is a venture between the New Zealand government and the three mobile network operators in New Zealand: Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees, to provide or enhance 4G mobile and wireless broadband coverage in New Zealand for off-grid and on-grid environments with a focus on rural areas and areas impacted by black-spots. The Redflow ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow battery has been selected for use on off-grid sites and is particularly well suited to the requirements of this application. The batteries provide long duration run times for sites powered almost exclusively by PV solar panels, with a backup generator used in winter conditions. The batteries provide 100% cycling capability each day to maximise the utilisation of the solar generation and that daily cycling capacity does not degrade with utilisation or at elevated temperatures up to 50ºC. The 10-year life of the Redflow ZBM2 with minimal maintenance makes for a cost-effective total-cost-of-ownership over the long haul.
