Sorensen Systems
New Alternative Energy Initiatives
Rely on Design/Build Capabilities
A recent blog entry by a commentator on the Sorensen Systems website observed that new alternative energy initiatives have become a new source of business for the company. In the blog the author stated, " I read a recent blog entry by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOM News (a widely read blog focused on new technologies) about two of the newest and most innovative alternative energy start-ups in the Northeast. She wrote about interviews she had with the owners of SustainX and General Compression, which are two companies located in the Northeast that have become growing players in the compressed air energy storage (CAES) industry. She wrote that the two companies are moving ever closer to commercialization, which means that soon they will be generating income and profits based on their advanced technology and the growing demand for alternative energy sources. "
Marc Ferland, President of Sorensen Systems LLC, of Northborough MA, confirmed that the two companies have contracted some of their initial design/build work to Sorensen Systems and The Hope Group. This includes design and build on prototypes and beta installations of their proprietary air energy storage systems.
In a blog posted last March, Fehrenbacher wrote that General Compression would be starting construction on its first commercial project this year and that it had proven its technology via a pilot project. She also wrote that SustainX had already built a 40 kW project at its New Hampshire headquarters, which had proven its technology. In her conversations with the owners of these two businesses the companies described that their patented technology was at the core of their achievements.
General Compression
In a news release from General Compression on June 7, 2011, the Newton, MA based company announced that it had secured $54.5 million in financing, which would enhance its manufacturing capacity and to build a pipeline of projects including the first one underway in Texas. The news release described the company as having been founded in 2006 with intentions to make advancements in the fields of isothermal compression and expansion to enable utility-scale 100 percent renewable, dispatchable power projects. The press statement further stated that the founders launched General Compression "with a vision of creating Dispatchable Wind™ to integrate low-cost bulk energy storage with wind farms to eliminate the issues of intermittent power generation."
According to Marc Ferland, Sorensen Systems and The Hope Group, both subsidiaries of THG Corporation, have provided engineering and fabrication services to General Compression on its pilot project slated for installation in Texas this year.
SustainX
According to its website, the technology being pioneered by SustainX "compresses and expands gas near-isothermally over a wide pressure range, namely from atmospheric pressure (0 psig) to a maximum of 3,000 psig. This large operating pressure range, along with the isothermal gas expansion (allowing for recovery of heat not achieved with adiabatic expansion), achieves a ~7x reduction in storage cost as compared to classical CAES in vessels."
The engineers at SustainX have stated that the "technical goal in the next two years is to cram four megawatt-hours of stored energy into a 40 foot long container." Such a tank would then be able to deliver One Megawatt of power at a time more convenient and efficient to the operator." Current plans are to build and demonstrate the process with a 100 kilowatt hour pilot system. The Hope Group and Sorensen Systems recently completed the design/build and installation of a Research & Development (R&D) test stand for SustainX, which will be an essential component in development of the technology required to design and build its first compressed air energy storage (CAES) unit.
SustainX has reportedly added additional backers and secured funding that has raised its investment to over $20 million, according to recent published reports. The company was founded in 2007 by engineers from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, with the vision of compressing air for energy storage by using electricity to drive pistons inside cylinders. The high-pressure air is stored in above-ground vessels until released as needed.
According to Marc Ferland, the growing demand for alternative, renewable energy sources, such as these two projects is an important part of growth plans for Sorensen Systems and The Hope Group. "We have been in the renewable energy field for 25 years at Sorensen Systems, primarily through our involvement in water to wire and station automation and integration services for the hydro-electric energy field," said Ferland. "Today, renewable energy has expanded to include other alternatives such as solar, wind and other carbon emission-free sources," he added.
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