e-On Batteries: Global Sustainability Fuelled by Energy Storage
energycioinsights

e-On Batteries: Global Sustainability Fuelled by Energy Storage

Justin Godsey, Chief Integration Officer and Todd Hayes, President & CEO, e On BatteriesJustin Godsey, Chief Integration Officer and Todd Hayes, President & CEO “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls while others build windmills.”

The wisdom behind this ancient proverb holds greater weight today with the growing concern of impending environmental crisis surrounding the planet. A vital step toward environmental awareness is to address the fact that any nation’s global energy generation and consumption influences its environmental footprint. With this cognizance, fortunately, it came as a huge relief for environmentalists around the world to learn that the modern global energy grids have begun their course along a sustainable curve with the widespread adoption of renewable energy power generation.

Although, it seemed like a promising start to produce clean energy and the consequent effort to curb the depletion of non-renewable energy sources, the addition of solar and wind energy doesn’t entirely solve the intrinsic challenges facing electricity power grids or more importantly the environmental concerns that continue to strain the global energy production. These renewable plants don’t necessarily reduce carbon, as the legacy power plants must keep spawning out energy to compensate for the peaks and valleys of power usage. This significantly strains the grid causing turmoil for transformation and distribution companies. If not addressed, this could result in tremendous failure costing billions. Moreover, with IoT networking and multiple energy generation sources causing further fluctuation and stressing the national grid, integration of energy storage and distributed energy resources are being hailed as the cornerstone of grid stabilization.

"Our vision has always been to make the world a better place for future generations and to simply do the right thing for our environment"

Countries that have witnessed the transformation of a two-way grid have started to realize the true potential of a distributed energy resource model along with the vitality of critical communication and relay of real-time data associated with it. Owing to its crucial role in actively communicating and executing these complex energy algorithms, middleware has also grown in demand to avert the failure of this entire system. This is where e-On Batteries steps in with its proprietary, smart, safe, and lasting lithium iron phosphate-based battery solutions as the holy-grail for decentralization of energy and stabilization of the grid. Consequently, e-On enabled commercial, industrial, and utility companies to effectively manage power and associated data while ensuring increased reliability and national security. e-Onoffers an exclusive range of batteries, which includes its proprietary UL1642 3.2V Prismatic LiFePO4 cell that is configured into a 12V direct drop-in replacement batteries and the company’s 48V 6.4 kWh stackable modules. Together these batteries combine to form e-On’s multi-megawatt scalable 40ft 1MW/2MWh containerized or skid mounted system.

In addition to pioneering lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) based energy storage systems, e-On also specializes in load leveling and peak demand services at a levelized cost of energy for all its commercial and industrial clients. The company accomplishes this cost levelization through solar production, battery storage, efficiency measures, and the controls that allow them to harmoniously work in unison. Todd Hayes, President and CEO, e-On Batteries, says, “We truly care about the environment we live in, but are also a realist from the standpoint that the financial benefits must also be in line for any major corporation or utility to make the upfront investment needed to meet their environmental policy goals.”

e-On’s Journey in the Making

Established with the foundation of building the world's safest and most stable compound, lithium iron phosphate, e-On Batteries leverages 20 years of software and communications expertise into safely and securely networking multiple energy generation and delivery assets, coupled with a wide range of protocols that integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure requirements.


Evidently, there is a significant learning curve when it comes to the total system integration and interconnection of C&I and utility scale storage that e-On brings to the market

It all started when e-On’s team identified an area of need in the 12- 48V battery market four years ago. At that time, providing an eco-friendly, versatile, deep cycle battery that can withstand the rigorous requirements of communications within the oil and gas industries while also meeting data management requirements seemed like a difficult endeavor. By integrating app-driven Bluetooth status monitoring into their battery management system, e-On’s team realized that they could offset the upfront investment cost of advanced technology batteries for their clients through the reduction of associated truck rolls, battery swap outs, and maintenance down times.

Shortly, e-On was presented with a realization that its ability to integrate communication with energy storage would be the wave of the future and it turned out to be right. With the release of the industry’s first Bluetooth integrated status monitoring battery, e-On Batteries achieved the stature of “World’s Smartest Battery Network.” Justin Godsey, Chief Integration Officer, e-On Batteries, says, “The use of secure digital ledgering to integrate virtual net-metering, open wholesale energy market trading platforms, and advanced digital control of operations technologies will be the modern-day Rosetta Stone of the distributed energy utility model.” The company provides advanced ledgering solutions that deliver the simplistic translation of the advanced “languages” and gets them all processed in unison. Extending this same flexibility to its commercial, industrial, and utility applications, e-On discovered the vitality of influencing their client’s decision of reaching a levelized cost of energy, as well as maintaining line stability.

To facilitate stability and budgetary relief at the grid level, e-On also provides ancillary services for extension projects. The company offers full EPC services, where it can incorporate energy storage and delivery into new and existing infrastructure. From a product innovation standpoint, safety and performance are the pioneering factors and the heart of e-On’s chemical compound and battery management system. The company’s focus lies in the integration and communication of the entire energy storage system, down to the individual cell level. e-On innovation lab’s efforts are converged significantly toward the ability of its energy storage systems to seamlessly integrate with digital commands and provide instantaneous energy when and where it is most needed while integrating with emerging fintech technologies. Hayes states, “Identifying the right compound is critical when assessing any storage project, but the integration of the storage element to existing infrastructure and getting all the moving parts to integrate seamlessly is an art form, in and of itself, and a true e-On value-added service.”

Over the past four years, e-On has built a readily deployable robust foundation for critical load and infrastructure support through an unwavering focus on product development. The company’s UL 1973 stackable modules after a strategic alignment with UL 1741 PCS/Inverter partners has made the company capable of offering stackable UL9540 grid-tied solutions for the C&I and utility markets.

“One can have the greatest product in the world, but in this industry, if they are not able to meet the required timelines associated to getting the product into your clients’ hands, large rebates and tax incentives may be at risk,” adds Godsey. Most end-users are calculating these rebates and incentives into their ROI, and the loss of these key factors will have an immediate negative impact on the economics of any project. e-On addresses this challenge by designing and manufacturing products that can be quickly scaled and delivered. Aligning with strategically targeted partners has provided e-On with an ability to reach over a Gigawatt of annual production capacity with unparalleled delivery times.

The Organizational Virtue

From a business standpoint, e-On Batteries fulfills its client’s real-world requirements through keen attention on meeting their long term financial, ecological, and technological goals, and tailoring system requirements to help them reach their business goals. The company’s leadership has a significant role in its approach to drive this client success. Drawing analogies on how the personal strengths of e-On’s leadership team reflects on the organizational dynamics of the company, Hayes explains, “e-On’s strong leadership and robust organizational value is an amalgamation of a youth baseball coach, the patience of a fly fisherman, the tenacity of a downhill skier, the courage of a bull rider, and the willingness to stand up to the conventional norm attitude of a snowboarder.” Evidently, there is a significant learning curve when it comes to the total system integration and interconnection of C&I and utility scale storage that e-On brings to the market.

"Identifying the right compound is critical when assessing any storage project, but the integration of the storage element to existing infrastructure and getting all the moving parts to integrate seamlessly is an art form, in and of itself, and a true e-On value-added service"

Over the years, e-On has built a unique stature of mastering the various lithium compounds and yet always being loyal to LiFePO4, due to the inherent safety and stability advantages that it has to offer. The company has actively engaged with efficient market leaders in the energy space; a quality that has enabled them to seamlessly enter the industry and accelerate their growth curve by adding value and creating a win-win scenario for all the stakeholders. “Of greatest importance, we understood that we are in a marathon and not a sprint. Change takes time, and always meets resistance. Being a rudder on a massive barge requires patience, diligence, and very thick skin,” adds Hayes.

As the energy industry scrambles to meet and adjust to the consumer demand for change, e-On today is well-positioned to reap the rewards of the seeds planted in areas that it believed to be fruitfully fertile from the beginning. Carrying this belief from day one and further into the future, e-On plans to bring additional sustainable solutions into the energy industry, not just for the betterment of its clients and industry but also for achieving global environmental sustainability.

“Our vision has always been to make the world a better place for future generations and to simply do the right thing for our environment, and for those who are fortunate to call this beautiful planet home,” concludes Godsey.

- Laura Davis
    July 12, 2019
Share this Article:
Top 10 Energy Storage Solution Companies - 2019

Company
e On Batteries

Headquarters
.

Management
Justin Godsey, Chief Integration Officer and Todd Hayes, President & CEO

Description
e-On Batteries is a prominent technological player in the development of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) based energy storage systems. The company’s UL 1973 6.4kWh module is engineered as a scalable building block, and e-On 19” rack mounted modular systems are easily configured from 12.8 kWh residential systems, to 4MWh container based systems, and beyond. With over 20 million deployed cells and zero catastrophic failures, combined with cell level BMS monitoring and controls helps e-On Batteries in making smartest business decisions in the battery industry