Rolls-Royce expands its position in the microgrid market and invests in start-up Qinous

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Rolls-Royce expands its position in the microgrid market and invests in start-up Qinous

01 October 2018

  • Rolls-Royce acquires stake in Berlin-based energy storage and systems start-up Qinous
  • Turnkey microgrids launched to support independent, cleaner and more reliable energy
  • Rolls-Royce microgrid demonstrator to showcase systems tailored to customer needs

Rolls-Royce is investing in Berlin-based start-up company Qinous GmbH, a global provider of innovative energy storage and control systems, and adding turnkey microgrids to the portfolio.

“As a strategic investor, the aim is to set up a partnership with Qinous for the development of innovative energy storage solutions and together offer cleaner solutions designed to meet tomorrow’s needs,” explained Marcus A. Wassenberg, CFO and Labor Director at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

The increased use of renewable energies has exacerbated the challenge of how to maintain a reliable energy supply, when weather conditions are unfavourable, to meet demand. Autonomous electricity networks, or microgrids, combine cogeneration plants, diesel- and gas-powered gensets and renewable sources with batteries and a control system that links up all the elements in an intelligent energy management system that optimises the energy usage technically and economically. “With the use of energy storage and renewable sources, operators of hotels, hospitals or schools are able to make significant fuel cost savings and at the same time protect the environment ,” said Qinous CEO Steffen Heinrich.

Qinous has gained considerable experience in the integration of battery storage and energy systems in microgrids in more than 30 projects worldwide and has already integrated MTU Onsite Energy systems from Rolls-Royce in such projects. The investment made by Rolls-Royce is to be used to expand the existing product portfolio and strengthen global sales and marketing activities.

“We are looking forward to working with Qinous and see this partnership as yet another milestone as we expand our activities in this business segment,” said Marcus A. Wassenberg. Financial details of the individual investment being made by Rolls-Royce are not being disclosed.

Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, added: “We have identified our customers’ needs in terms of autonomous energy supply systems that are efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly. For this reason, we are now adding turnkey microgrids to our current portfolio. In addition to the diesel and gas gensets supplied by MTU Onsite Energy, together with our partners like Qinous we will now offer battery containers, include renewable power generation plants, and combine that with intelligent control. This strengthens our position as a provider of innovative power solutions able to supply our customers with microgrid systems tailored to their specific requirements.”

Microgrids combine renewable energy generation with reliable generator sets
The increased use of energy from photovoltaic and wind power plants, where power output can fluctuate depending upon weather conditions, has exacerbated the challenge of how to maintain energy availability. This is something microgrids can achieve by combining generation with batteries and a control system in an intelligent energy management system. Rolls-Royce already provides MTU diesel and gas gensets for use in microgrids, and will soon be able to provide full turnkey microgrid solutions.

“Microgrids combine clean and cost-effective renewable energies with our reliable generator sets and are thus the future of the power industry,” said Alexander Patt, Project leader of Microgrid solutions at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “We are convinced that, with our engineering competence, we will be able to provide our customers with a total system that will give them the availability and efficiency they require.”

Rolls-Royce microgrid demonstrator to showcase systems tailored to customer needs
Microgrids can supply energy completely autonomously to remote locations, such as mining operations or islands that have no access to a public grid. When operated in parallel with existing infrastructure, they can provide an environmentally friendly supply of electric power to industrial companies or local communities while simultaneously providing support for the public grid.

The most crucial component of a microgrid is an intelligent control system, which determines what power sources are to be used at what time in order to supply energy to the end user or top-up the battery system. This is done in accordance with the customer’s preference; for instance, whether they prefer low-cost electricity generation, the supply of renewable energy, or high rates of power availability. Rolls-Royce Power Systems is now setting up a microgrid demonstrator in Friedrichshafen that will assist in the design of microgrids that meet a customer’s specific requirements.

“Microgrids are part of our Green and High-Tech Initiative, with which we are making targeted investments in environmentally sound solutions for the future that are designed to lower the emissions of pollutants and reduce the consumption of energy and raw materials,” said Andreas Schell.

Press photos are available for download from www.rrpowersystems.com/press

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

  1. Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver the cleanest, safest and most competitive solutions to our planet’s vital power needs.
  2. Rolls-Royce Power Systems is headquartered in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany and employs around 10,000 people. The product portfolio includes MTU-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, power generation, heavy land, rail and defence vehicles and for the oil and gas industry. Under the MTU Onsite Energy brand, the company markets diesel gensets for emergency, base load and peak load applications as well as cogeneration plants using gas engines for the combined generation of heat and power. Bergen medium-speed engines power ships and power generation applications.
  3. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 4,000 marine customers including 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
  4. Annual underlying revenue was £15 billion in 2017, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at £78.5 billion at the end of December 2017.
  5. In 2017, Rolls-Royce invested £1.4 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 31 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
  6. Rolls-Royce employs almost 50,000 people in 50 countries. More than 18,200 of these are engineers.
  7. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. In 2017 we recruited 313 graduates and 339 apprentices through our worldwide training programmes.

Qinous

Qinous is a system integrator of smart plug & play energy storage solutions. Equipped with an integrated micro-grid and energy management system, Qinous is suited to both on- and off-grid applications with a range of thirty kilowatts to several megawatts. The Qinous team offers more than 40 years of combined experience in the design and project management of energy systems, and more than 10 years of combined experience in the application engineering of battery storage systems.

https://www.qinous.de/en/

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Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land.







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