October 13, 2008: Satcon Technology Corp., a provider of utility scale distributed power solutions for the renewable energy market, has been awarded ~$6M contract by the Office of Naval Research to design and test an advanced modular 500kW Energy Storage Module (ESM) for the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class ships.

Satcon partnered with Inanovation, maker of nanotechnology based lithium batteries for military, commercial, and industrial applications, on the project, as well as with Creative Energy Solutions and NDI Engineering.

The 500kW ESM is a component in a 2.5MW ship-wide power generating system designed to enable fuel efficient, single-generator operations, delivering annual fuel savings in excess of $1 million per ship. This contract, which runs through October 2010, is related to the congressionally mandated effort to develop fuel efficiency improvements for all US military branches.

“We are honored to be recognized by the US Navy for our leading-edge technology and expertise in high-power and efficient electric power conversion systems, especially for this application where ruggedized power quality and system reliability are critical,” said Leo Casey, Satcon’s VP and CTO, in a statement. “The advanced technologies developed as a result of this project are key enablers for Satcon’s core business in the alternative energy sector, particularly for distributed microgrid applications.”

The system builds on Satcon’s advanced bi-directional power conversion technologies; including DC/AC and DC/DC converters as well as other government-sponsored advanced technology for power electronics subsystems.