Emera Technologies microgrid in a box receives green light from UL

The fire safety certification is a significant milestone that means Emera can now sell the solution to other utilities.    

After a demanding testing and evaluation process, Emera Technologies announced today it has received UL 9540 fire safety certification for BlockBox, the distributed nanogrid energy storage system that controls its BlockEnergy microgrid platform. 

BlockEnergy is the first utility-owned community microgrid for residential and commercial-scale applications. The fire safety certification is a significant milestone that means Emera can now sell the solution to other utilities.    

The microgrid integrates renewable energy, storage, and smart distributed controls to facilitate easily scalable systems in new residential communities. The energy storage and control system, uses EnerDel’s lithium-ion batteries and acts as a smart hub for the energy load it serves on the microgrid. BlockBoxes are connected on a common bus at various end-load sources, incorporating the battery management system, controls, and communications for the load, thereby serving as the integration point of various energy sources into the battery. 

 “Less than two years ago we completed our proof of concept for the BlockEnergy microgrid and distributed BlockBox nanogrids at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Achieving the UL 9540 certification represents a crucial safety milestone in our engineering and development work,” says Rob Bennett, president and CEO of Emera Technologies.

“We look forward to completing our first commercial and residential BlockEnergy microgrid installations in Tampa, Florida, and Fairmount Heights, Maryland, in early 2022.” 

Microgrids could play a significant role in achieving a renewable and resilient energy future. BlockEnergy’s utility-centric model allows utilities to own and operate distributed energy resources (DER) that can be integrated with utility grid infrastructure. The BlockEnergy system provides interoperability in both grid-connected mode and island mode, when outages are affecting the broader grid. 

The testing and evaluation were conducted by independent, third-party lab TÜV Rheinland.  

Rob Bennet, president and CEO of Emera Technologies will be speaking at DISTRIBUTECH International on January 27, 2022 in the Renewable and Energy Storage Hub.

Source: Renewable Energy