EVLO Energy, the battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator arm of Canadian utility Hydro-Québec, has launched a 20-foot 5MWh product.
EVLO has launched the EVLO SYNERGY, a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) BESS unit which puts 5MWh of energy storage capacity per 20-foot enclosure, pictured above.
SYNERGY meets the NFPA 69 standard and is UL 9540 certified, and can run for up to 9,125 cycles over 25 years without the need for battery replacements, the firm said.
That brings EVLO in line with most of the rest of the BESS industry which has converged on the 20-foot, 5MWh form factor. Its existing product, EVLOFLEX, has 2.5MWh per 20-foot unit and the firm says that product ‘exceeds safety standards’.
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However, EVLO’s decision to fall in line on density may surprise those who remember comments from its head of production innovation and technology development Jonathan Levesque in an interview with Energy-Storage.news in March 2024, when he said:
“We come from a utility so quality and safety are in our DNA and are things we don’t compromise on. We do, however, compromise on energy density. The solution is less dense than others but we make sure everything is safe to operate.”
Energy-Storage.news asked the firm what had led the company to stop compromising on energy density, to which the its VP sales and business development Martin Rheault said:
“The decision to add a high-density 5MWh, 20-foot product to our portfolio aligns with our commitment to safety and quality as top priorities. What has changed is the evolving market demand and the rapid advancement in the high-density technology.”
“EVLO does not compromise on safety and reliability: EVLO SYNERGY, as a high density solution, fully complies to leading industry safety standards. Additionally, utilities looking for a BESS solution that exceeds safety standards may consider our EVLOFLEX solution, that integrates both active and passive thermal runaway mitigation measures.”
EVLO’s BESS products can also be deployed with the firm’s EVLOGIX site controller and asset manager, its NERC CIP-ready energy management system (EMS).
First grid-scale project in US commissioned
In concurrent news, EVLO Energy has commissioned its first grid-scale BESS project in the US.
The firm deployed and commissioned a 3MW/12MWh project in Troy, Vermont, for utility Vermont Electric Cooperative.
The project comprises 16 units of its product which is previous even to EVLOFLEX – so two generations old – the EVLO 1000, a 1MWh system. Those units are connected to four power conversion systems (PCS).
EVLO’s deployments to date, as listed on the company’s website, have been within its home country of Canada, with the exception of one 9MW/9MWh BESS in France inaugurated in 2022 for fellow Quebec-headquartered company Innergex marking its first international project.
