Skip to main content

Ask The Expert - Energy Storage Solutions

Governments around the world are setting ambitious targets for achieving carbon-neutral economies. Renewable energy from wind and solar will play a huge part in achieving these goals.

One major problem with these natural energy sources is that they are variable in nature. When the sun is not shining or the wind is calm, no energy is being created. To provide a dependable flow of electricity that can cope with changes in output from solar and wind generation, businesses and homeowners are turning to advanced energy storage solutions (ESS). These use the same technology that is driving the latest generation of electric vehicles. Advances in the design of Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries are creating new solutions for commercial properties as well as homes to even out the supply of clean and cheap energy.

In our latest Ask the Expert interview, our guest is Gijs Werner from Amphenol Communication Solutions. We talked about the infrastructure that must go alongside this battery technology for ESS to become. We discussed the role of battery management, but just as critical is power control, ensuring that the output of energy storage solutions is safe to use with today’s modern electronics.

We also discussed the importance of connectivity. With the huge rise in popularity of both alternative energy generation and of storage, connectors are providing the interface for control as well as power. Energy storage installations are expected to perform for many years in potentially hostile environments. Bringing these systems together requires an interesting combination of signal and power connectors that can deliver reliability in tough conditions.

Join Gijs and me as we investigate this fascinating topic, and look at some of the innovative ways that Amphenol is helping designers and system architects to make the most of the latest energy storage solutions.

p.s. If you are interested in learning more about battery management systems and how they work, Gijs is not the only expert who can help. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to talk to another Amphenol engineer, Brian Engle. Brian is one of Amphenol’s leaders in the world of sensors for battery management, and we had a fascinating conversation about how technology is making the latest energy storage solutions safer for all.

You can learn more about Brian’s fascinating insights here.

Connector Geek is Dave in real life. After three decades in the industry, Dave still likes talking about connectors almost as much as being a Dad to his two kids. He still loves Lego too. And guitars.
DesignSpark Electrical Logolinkedin