The Anonymous Widower

Would You Buy A Battery Energy Storage System From Rolls-Royce?

I don’t often click on adverts that appear in web pages.

But I had to click on one from Rolls-Royce mtu, which advertised Battery Energy Storage Systems.

I wonder what the Honourable Charles Rolls would have thought of adverts on the Internet for the company he jointly founded?

I suspect he would have liked the idea, as Rolls was very much a promoter of motoring and aviation and opened one of the first car dealerships in the UK, according to his Wikipedia entry.

The Wikipedia entry for his business partner; Sir Henry Royce starts with this sentence.

Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, OBE (27 March 1863 – 22 April 1933) was an English engineer famous for his designs of car and aeroplane engines with a reputation for reliability and longevity.

He is also described as a perfectionist.

This sentence from the Wikipedia entry, describes how he started the design of the legendary “R” engine.

In October 1928, he began design of the “R” engine while walking with some of his leading engineers on the beach at West Wittering, sketching ideas in the sand. Less than a year later, the “R” engine, designed in his studio in the village, set a new world air speed record of 357.7 miles per hour and won the Schneider Trophy of 1929.

Later with help from the maddest person my father ever met (his words, not mine!) ; Lady Houston, the Supermarine S.6B won the trophy in 1931 and then broke the world speed record at over 400 mph. Not bad for a seaplane. Take the floats off an S.6B and you almost have a Spitfire.

The Wikipedia entry also describes how the “R” engine was developed into what many engineers believe was the finest internal combustion engine of all time; the Rolls-Royce Merlin.

Following the success of the “R” engine, it was clear that they had an engine that would be of use to the Royal Air Force. As no Government assistance was forthcoming at first, in the national interest they went ahead with development of what was called the “PV-12” engine (standing for Private Venture, 12-cylinder). The idea was to produce an engine of about the same performance as the “R”, albeit with a much longer life. Rolls-Royce launched the PV-12 in October 1933 and the engine completed its first test in 1934, the year after Royce died. The PV-12 became the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.

Where would we have been in the Battle of Britain without the Merlin engine?

Since 1969, the engineers at Rolls-Royce have followed Sir Henry’s example of perfection and developed the revolutionary RB-211 into the modern day Trent, which is now about to take a big leap into a low-carbon future with the UltraFan.

If the quality of Rolls-Royce mtu’s Battery Energy Storage System matches the levels of perfection Rolls-Royce achieved with the Merlin and the Trent, then I suspect that Sir Henry would have given his approval.

This picture is shown on the web page for the Battery Energy Storage System.

These two paragraphs introduce, what Rolls-Royce mtu are calling the mtuEnergyPack.

In today’s world of economic growth and increasing populations, the demand for electricity is soaring. Governments and industries globally shift to distributed renewable energy, challenging centralized grids. To adapt to this changing energy landscape, the mtuEnergyPack offers an ideal solution.

It integrates renewable sources like solar and wind power, paving the way for future-ready sustainable power systems. The mtu EnergyPack is a scalable, all-in-one solution for autonomous off-grid facilities. It ensures reliable power through peak shaving, load-shifting, and grid stabilization, making it suitable for various applications.

These are my thoughts.

What Is The Output And The Storage Capacity?

This paragraph on this page gives this answer.

It efficiently stores electricity from distributed sources and delivers on demand. The mtu EnergyPack is available in different sizes: The QS and the QL, ranging from 200 kVA to 2,000 kVA, and from 312 kWh to 2,084 kWh, and the QG for grid scale storage needs, ranging from 4,400 kVA and 4,470 kWh to virtually any size.

It seems that you specify your requirements and Rolls-Royce mtu should be able to satisfy it.

What Devices Can Be Connected?

This paragraph on this page gives this answer.

The mtu EnergyPack serves as a key component in enhancing the reliability and profitability of microgrids and energy systems. It stores electricity generated by distributed power sources, including gensets, wind turbines, or solar panels, and delivers it when needed.

In the 1970s, when I was working at ICI, others in the section were working on a system called MEDIA, where every sensor on a chemical plant was connected to the central computer, through its own analog-to-digital computer. It would now be called plug-and-play by some.

I believe that Rolls-Royce mtu are using similar ideas to connect equipment to the control computer.

These are my thoughts about connecting various equipment.

• Hydrogen-powered generators and electrolysers as Rolls-Royce mtu are using at Duisburg, which I wrote about in Rolls-Royce Makes Duisburg Container Terminal Climate Neutral With MTU Hydrogen Technology.
• Could Rolls-Royce’s beer keg-sized 2.5 MW electrical generator based on a Super Hercules engine, be connected?
• Could a Rolls-Royce Trent be connected?
• Could one of Rolls-Royce’s small modular nuclear reactors be connected?
• In Rolls-Royce To Play Key Role In US Department Of Defense Nuclear Microreactor Program, I talk about developing a 1-5 MW nuclear reactor for US Department of Defense.  Could these be connected?

I don’t see why every device can’t work to the same protocol.

What Is The Power Density Like?

This paragraph on this page gives this answer.

The mtu EnergyPack’s compact battery system designs suit projects with limited space and logistical restrictions.

In ‘Spirit of Innovation’ Stakes Claim To Be The World’s Fastest All-Electric Vehicle, I talked about Rolls-Royce’s record-breaking electric plane called Spirit of Innovation.

Has what has been learned about energy storage in the confined spaces of an aeroplane been applied to a Battery Energy Storage System?

What Do Rolls-Royce mtu Consider To Be Important Features?

On this page, they list these features.

• Power Density
• Digitally Connected
• Multilevel Safety
• Black Start Capability
• Scalability
• Ultra-Fast Response
• Flexible Use
• Plug-And-Play Installation

The design seems to have everything covered.

Can Similar Systems Be Designed By Others?

I would expect that similar systems can be designed, as technology like batteries is available to all and the operation is only as good as the software controlling the various components of the system.

But similar systems will be without the famous Rolls-Royce logo.

Could One Of These Systems Decarbonise A Village?

I once lived in a village with about fifty houses and perhaps a hundred inhabitants.

• There was an old World War Two airfield, that could probably accommodate a small wind farm of perhaps 20 MW.
• There were a couple of barns and large sheds, that could have solar panels similar to those I described in Bedford Depot’s Massive Solar Roof Helps Thameslink On Way To Net Zero.

I suspect an mtuEnergyPack could control all these inputs and provide the village with the following.

• Enough electricity to power all the needs of the inhabitants, businesses and their vehicles.
• If an electrolyser were to be provided, it could probably produce enough hydrogen to power every boiler and hydrogen-powered vehicle.

Note.

1. Farmers would like the local availability of hydrogen, as it will be ideal for tractors and agricultural machinery.
2. I actually believe that if a village had a reliable and affordable hydrogen supply, that a large proportion of the inhabitants would switch to hydrogen-powered vehicles.

There would still be the National Grid there for backup.

Conclusion

If I needed an mtuEnergyPack, I’d certainly give one a close look.

December 22, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Computing, Design, Energy, Energy Storage, Hydrogen | Advertising, Batteries, Charles Rolls, Control Engineering, Henry Royce, Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles, ICI, Lady Houston, mtuEnergyPack, Port Of Duisburg, Rolls-Royce 2.5 MW Generator, Rolls-Royce Deployable SMR, Rolls-Royce Merlin, Rolls-Royce mtu, Rolls-Royce RB-211, Rolls-Royce SMR, Rolls-Royce Trent, Rolls-Royce UltraFan, Spirit Of Innovation