Saft offers Ni-MH rechargeable batteries

The Smart VHT Module range offers a better performance, a lower total cost of ownership (TCO), improved integration and a better environmental profile than traditional batteries, according to the company.

Standalone renewable-energy sources are suitable for applications such as street lighting and signage, water supply and irrigation, weather stations and environmental sensors, wireless local area networks (LANs) and navigation aids.

Saft claims that these applications benefit from reliable, maintenance-free and long-life energy storage.

However, renewable-energy storage in highly distributed and often remote locations in uncontrolled environments is characterised by a number of shallow cycles, with erratic charge current and time, often under extreme temperatures.

Today's lead-acid storage batteries do not cope well in these conditions and suffer from limited life, poor reliability and even sudden death, leading to high maintenance and replacement costs, according to the company.

Despite its higher initial cost, the Ni-MH chemistry of the Smart VHT Module range has been shown to reduce the TCO by 45 per cent or more when operating over a 15-year period in such applications.

This is a result of a longer life (typically three to five times longer), better failure resistance and wider temperature tolerance than lead-acid technology.

The design and production of the VHT range have been optimised to minimise water and energy consumption, to reduce the production of greenhouse gases and toxic waste, to diminish the negative effects on global warming and the ozone layer and to curb the unnecessary depletion of natural resources.

The Smart VHT Module enables direct integration of smart electronics - such as seamless charge/discharge management, battery condition logging and the accurate state of health indicators - removing the need for separate PV controllers.

The modules are available in 12V, 24V and 36V versions in 10Ah capacity increments (up to 80Ah).

These modules can also be housed in a ruggedised aluminium casing, providing added protection from the elements.

They are directly interchangeable with traditional valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) battery modules.