Alternative Power Supply for Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems

Maintaining warship effectiveness requires uninterrupted electrical power. Currently fielded Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) rely on lead-acid batteries to store energy and deliver power during primary power system outages. Lead-acid batteries are affordable and robust, but require regular maintenance, contain hazardous materials, generate volatile hydrogen gas, and have limited life due to sedimentation, swelling, and grid corrosion. These negatives result in high Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) despite low initial capital cost. Alternate battery chemistries offer dramatically better energy and power density versus lead-acid, but few chemistries improve on UPS critical performance metrics such as calendar life, inherent safety, and total cost of ownership minimization. Zinc anode battery chemistries provide longer life, increased energy density, enhanced safety, lower maintenance, comparable capital cost, and superior TCO than lead-acid batteries. Motivo Engineering, in partnership with Urban Electric Power (UEP), proposes to develop a nickel-zinc based battery pack to replace existing lead-acid packs. Motivo"s long experience in developing battery packs, battery management systems, and battery system user interfaces, coupled with UEP's revolutionary nickel-zinc cells will result in a safe, energy dense, cost effective alternative power supply for Navy UPS systems.