Tesvolt Awarded Hugo Junkers Prize for Technical Innovation

Wittenberg/Magdeburg, 15 December 2016 – Commercial storage system manufacturer Tesvolt has today been awarded the Hugo Junkers Prize for its intelligent battery management system. The Wittenberg-based company came first in the “Most Innovative Product Development” category, ahead of 42 other contenders. The judging panel was particularly impressed by the energy storage unit’s high cell balancing efficiency of 92 percent and its long lifespan, which is made possible by Tesvolt’s proprietary battery management system. The Hugo Junkers Prize has been awarded by the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digitalisation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt for 25 years and hands out prize money totalling 90,000 euros.

Innovative storage management system extends lifespan of battery cells

Innovation for the global market
“Tesvolt’s battery management system significantly reduces the amount of energy lost during battery charging and discharging. The judges were also won over by Tesvolt’s ambitious, young team. Thanks to its international storage projects, Tesvolt serves as a prime example of commercial success in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany and beyond,” explains head judge Prof. Mirko Peglow, Technical Director of the Pergande Group, one of Europe’s leading companies in the field of granulation.

Extended battery lifespan
Tesvolt’s active bidirectional battery management system monitors the condition of cells in order to prevent damage early on. This involves permanently tracking the temperature, voltage and state of charge of each individual cell. As a result of these measures, Tesvolt’s battery storage systems have a lifespan of around 20 years and a depth of discharge (DoD) of 90 percent.

High efficiency rating
By controlling every single cell, Tesvolt’s battery management system distributes stored energy more efficiently and quickly between the cells than conventional passive or unidirectional cell control equipment. This leads to a very high efficiency rating of 92 percent when balancing energy between the cells. In passive management systems, conversely, energy is lost in the form of heat as the cells are balanced. In unidirectional control systems, the only way for all the cells to have an even state of charge is for energy to flow from adjacent cells. However, this process takes longer and results in higher energy losses.

Award ceremony
“Winning the Hugo Junkers Prize is a huge honour for us,” says Simon Schandert, Director of Engineering at Tesvolt. “Our battery management system is a pioneering piece of technology. This award therefore confirms that we are on the right path, encouraging us to continue making advances in storage technology and contributing to the energy transition.”

The Hugo Junkers Prize award ceremony was held in Magdeburg in the factory buildings of a former Junkers engine factory, which today has been converted into the Kongress- und Kulturwerk Fichte conference and events centre. The prize was presented by Prof. Mirko Peglow.