Battery Innovation Center and Chroma Partner to Develop Micro-Grid Test Environment

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. - April 28, 2016 - PRLog -- Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of power conversion testing equipment and automated systems, and the Battery Innovation Center (BIC), advanced learning and education in the energy sector near Crane, IN, announces partnership to create a micro-grid test environment for testing and furthering the development of battery storage systems. BIC's Micro-Grid Group plans to utilize Chroma's 61800 Regenerative Grid Simulators to drive adoption of the MESA-ESS standard for Advanced Energy Storage Systems.

Matt Mills, Sr. Engineer with the Battery Innovation Center states "The Chroma 61800 Grid Simulators are at the heart of the Battery Innovation Center's Micro-Grid Test Lab. The 61800 series provides the lab's 480V three phase supply including power monitoring on each phase. Independent phase operation allows charging of one of the lab's energy storage systems on one leg while discharging on another. With help from Chroma, the Battery Innovation Center is helping to spur the grid energy storage industry adoption of the plug and play MESA standard for Advanced Energy Storage Systems."

According to the MESA Standard, MESA-ESS specifications address how energy storage systems communicate with the utility's grid control (SCADA/DMS), while potentially extending these communication specifications to aggregators and facility energy management systems (FDEMS) that monitor and control storage assets.

"We are proud of our partnership with BIC," said Steve Grodt, Director of Business Development for Chroma. "BIC's excellent engineering staff integrated Chroma's grid simulators into a powerful micro-grid environment in a world-class facility that will benefit the energy storage industry for years to come."

Chroma delivered three 61800 Regenerative Grid Simulators to supply 180kVA of AC power that simulates worldwide power line conditions and disturbances. The 61800 is a full 4 quadrant, fully regenerative, grid simulator with advanced features for compliance, safety and product verification testing. The 61800's standard output voltage is 0-330VL-N / 0-571VL-L providing a wider output power range with maximum power delivered down to 200VACL-N. The 61860 can both sink to and source from the UUT seamlessly to support a multitude of applications. In cases where the UUT sources current, a detection circuit senses excess power allowing BIC to recycle it back to the grid. Anti-islanding as well as many other safety tests can easily be performed using the 61800. 30kVA to 300kVA models are available from Chroma.

"Chroma has been a great partner with the BIC on this ongoing platform, and their industry leading Grid Simulators are allowing us to perform critical performance testing, along with new to industry certifications. The units have proven robust under the duration of testing, and the support and response from Chroma has been exceptional" states Ben Wrightsman, COO with the Battery Innovation Center.

About BIC

The Battery Innovation Center (BIC) project is a collaborative initiative designed to incorporate leadership from renowned universities, government agencies, and commercial enterprises to focus on the rapid development, testing and commercialization of safe, reliable and lightweight energy storage systems for defense and commercial customers. The BIC's mission is to accelerate innovation in the field of battery technology by providing access to the entire spectrum of R&D to commercialization, including low volume production, in a single 40,000 square foot facility located near Crane, Indiana.

About Chroma Systems Solutions

Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc. is a leader in providing power conversion and electrical safety testing instrumentation and systems. Chroma's programmable power supplies, electronic loads, meters, hipot testers and automated testing systems provide solutions for applications in Aerospace, Military, Commercial, Medical, Battery, Solar, Electric Vehicle and LED. With offices and manufacturing facilities located around the globe, Chroma is dedicated to providing the highest quality equipment for compliance and R&D test engineers as well as unparalleled service and support. Chroma Systems Solutions corporate office is located in Foothill Ranch, CA.

For more information on Chroma's Regenerative Grid Simulators, please visit http://www.chromausa.com or call (949) 600-6400. For more information on BIC ESS capabilities, please visit http://www.bicindiana.com or call (812) 863-2424.