ABB has signed a cooperation agreement with Sweden-based energy storage company SaltX Technology to enable the development of a stable and scalable control system for EnerStore, a large storage development for the commercialization of nanocoated salt technology innovations.
SaltX’s unique technology allows salt to store power with a high energy density in a bulk material, which means it could scale to hundreds of megawatt (MW) hours, becoming a circular and sustainable energy storage solution for suppliers and customers across industries such as pulp and paper, metals and manufacturing. The innovative nanocoating, developed by SaltX over 15 years, makes it possible for systems to have a long lifetime, enabling customers to energize the storage when the electricity price is low and use the stored energy when prices are high, fulfilling their mission to help society shift to sustainable energy.
The current energy storage market is on the rise and in 2018 Bloomberg forecasted a USD 620 billion investment opportunity. Bloomberg also concluded that in 2030 the majority of energy storage will be in utility-scale.
SaltX technology will harness ABB's expertise of control system solutions. 
SaltX Technology will develop large-scale energy storage installations. Image courtesy of SaltX 
A depiction of the SaltX Technology facilities. Image courtesy of SaltX
ABB’s scope of supply for the initial pilot includes automation and control systems, motors and drives systems, process instrumentation and smart electrification, with potential to scale up the solution for industry customers. ABB’s established experience in scalable control systems will help ensure that the technical platform at EnerStore is optimized for the anticipated high demand in the future.
“This collaboration with ABB to enhance our EnerStore with first-class process and control systems, as well as benefit from ABB’s track record and expertise in process optimization, adds tremendous value and credibility to this exciting pilot project,” said Carl-Johan Linér, CEO of SaltX Technology.
“Our motors, drive systems and automation solutions will complement the unique features of SaltX’s technology, most notably that it enables long-duration heat energy storage with limited heat energy loss over time,” said Björn Jonsson, Hub Manager, Process Industries, ABB. “This groundbreaking partnership fits perfectly with our commitment to shift to sustainable, renewable energy and embed circularity in everything we do to enable a low carbon society.”
The design of the pilot plan has begun in collaboration with SaltX with the goal of installing the first joint system in the Luleå pilot.
ABB Ability™ System 800xA, is ranked by the ARC advisory group as the world’s #1 distributed control system (DCS) platform over the last 21 years.
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ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com
Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.
