SCs have been widely used as backup power supply for the data transmission units and actuator equipment, which requires long lifetime, high reliability, free of maintenance, and wide working temperature.
Usually, those applications have small storages because they are intended to avoid micro-power shortages that may damage such devices or affect their service assurance.
A huge grid storage application, designed to last 50+ years and have low maintenance, require a feature that lead acid storage, despite the low initial cost, does not have.
Replacement and disposal of exhaust batteries would be unmanageable and environmentally harmful because of the dimensions of such infrastructures (MWh or GWh). SC storage will be a main aid for grid infrastructure as it may run together with the electrochemical storages to provide extra power during demand peaks or to smooth the effect of intermittent power sources (wind or solar).
CapTop is providing kW to MW supercapacitor unit for complex energy storage system of micro-grid, which can provide instantaneous high power to stabilize the voltage.
The micro-grid issues are widely analysed among the proponents of the project ComESto, funded by the Italian Ministry of University financed and led by the major Italian electric company, ENEL.
The project aims to model, design and test a micro-grid having many different distributed generators and storage nodes, among which there will be a SC rack of about 1 kWh that has been designed and built by CapTop.
The role of the latter will be delivering high power for short time in order to stabilize the supply, whereas the grid conditions require it. In the future, the role of the SC storage in the grid management will grow as much as its market price reduces.