Federal government awards $28 million to Relectrify to progress BESS breakthrough

Battery technology company Relectrify, which aims to provide “the operating system for the world's best battery energy storage systems” (BESS), has been awarded $25 million through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to accelerate its AC1 BESS product.

According to a statement from ARENA on Wednesday, the funding supports a project which will “deploy up to” 100 megawatt hours’ worth of AC1 systems within “commercial, industrial and small front-of-meter markets”. 

This aims to “build real-world operating experience” as well as generate performance data and case study sites, as well as “a comprehensive knowledge-sharing program” to educate the energy sector “and support work to integrate renewables and strengthen grid stability.”

“The AC1 BESS neutralises weaknesses in today’s battery systems with a proprietary architecture that can independently optimise the usage of every battery cell,” said CEO Jeff Renaud. 

“The AC1 does things no other BESS can do, generating grid-compliant AC power directly from battery cells, without the need for a separate inverter. This all translates into enhanced safety, reliability and investment returns for BESS owners.

“Commercial and industrial energy users are the ‘missing middle’ in Australia’s energy transition and the AC1 is designed to fill this gap.”

The AC1 features a claimed world-first breakthrough in its ability to monitor and independently control each of nearly 4,000 individual battery cells. 

Separately, the company was also awarded a $2.9 million Industry Growth Program grant. The IGP grant supports Relectrify’s cell-level control battery storage technology, branded CellSwitch.

The grants follow previous funding through ARENA for Relectrify’s second life battery applications – using retired electric vehicle batteries and the company’s inverter technology – as well as a grant through the federal Entrepreneurs’ Programme. 

“With early-stage support from ARENA, Relectrify was able to develop its technology and test its first deployments. Not everything went to plan, but through these early trials Relectrify developed a breakthrough with the potential to reduce costs and improve performance,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller. 

“What began as a project to reuse end-of-life batteries has now grown into a world-class battery management technology with the potential to transform energy storage.”

Picture: credit Relectrify 

Further reading

Relectrify achieves IEC certifications for its commercial and industrial energy storage product

Relectrify gives second life to EV batteries