3.75MWh Indoor Battery Energy Storage System:

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) supported the local utility National Grid who sought intelligent, grid connected technologies capable of responding to dispatch signals during hours of peak usage on their distribution network. Viridi’s Energy Storage and Energy Management System controller was selected to provide flexible, behind-the-meter demand response during the summer and winter seasons.

What does the System do?

Viridi’s Energy Management System controller is programmed to control the charging and discharging behavior of the battery through two modes:

Normal Operation – Peak Shaving: as the building’s grid energy draw approaches a monthly peak, the battery discharges to drop it below a target threshold, lowering the on-bill $/kW demand cost for the building

Summer and Winter Demand Response: on peak event days, the Energy Management System receives a National Grid dispatch signal through EnergyHub’s Edge Distributed Energy Management System (DERMS). It responds by:

a) Automatically adjusting the setpoint of smart thermostats building-wide, lowering HVAC energy consumption

b) Discharging the battery at a high enough rate that the building’s energy consumption turns negative, relieving local grid congestion

Indoor Batteries But Without the Risk

Viridi builds its Fail-Safe Anti-Propagation architecture into every RPS50 battery pack. This passive layer halts thermal runaway propagation between cells, the typical failure mode for Lithium-Ion that can lead to rapid and catastrophic fires. Testing to the UL9540A Residential Standard, which involves intentionally heating a cell within the pack to the point of thermal failure, demonstrated no detectible release of heat, sparks, smoke, or flames. This technology makes Viridi’s systems uniquely suitable for safe deployments in and around occupied spaces and critical equipment. The local Authority Having Jurisdiction would not have permitted a Lithium-Ion system of this size inside a residential building without Fail-Safe technology.