Emera Technologies announced that after rigorous testing, its BlockBox received UL 9540 fire safety certification. BlockBox is the distributed microgrid energy storage and control system of Emera’s BlockEnergy microgrid platform. The platform is a utility-owned community microgrid for residential and commercial-scale applications.
The BlockEnergy microgrid integrates renewable energy, storage, and smart distributed controls to facilitate scalable systems in new residential communities. The BlockBox energy storage and control system, equipped with EnerDel’s lithium-ion batteries, 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.”
The fire safety certification is a significant milestone that allows BlockEnergy to be offered to utilities. BlockEnergy’s utility-centric model allows utilities to own and operate distributed energy resources that can be integrated with utility grid infrastructure. The system provides easy 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.
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