A new ‘plug-and-play’ approach to energy storage systems was recently unveiled by the Berlin-based startup Qinous at the Energy Storage Conference in Düsseldorf.
This new storage system is portable, compact, easy to install, and, perhaps more importantly, can be easily integrated into existing energy systems — with limited effort or costs. The system was designed, primarily, as a solution to the energy needs of off-grid regions — helping them to achieve energy independence as well as reducing costs and carbon emissions via the use of renewable energy systems.
Image Credit: Qinous
The system makes it possible for such off-grid regions/consumers — think islands, small villages, remote factories, etc — to meet 100% of their energy needs entirely independently from the electric grid. Qinous handles nearly everything for them — from the planning, to the installation, to the commissioning, etc — via a highly streamlined process that reduces costs.
The start-up is being backed and financed by VC fonds technology Berlin, which is managed by IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH. IBB Beteiligungsgeselleschaft senior investment manager, Stephan Schulze, stated: “We were ultimately convinced by the idea as well as the spirit of innovation of the Qinous founding team.”
Steffen Heinrich, the founder of Qinous, explained the technology thusly: “Today, remote regions are generally supplied by expensive and polluting diesel generators. The Qinous system is a sustainable and cost-efficient alternative that is able to considerably reduce C02 emissions in the target regions of Asia-Pacific, South America, Canada and Africa.”
You could make a strong argument that it’s in exactly these sort of environments that renewable energy really shines, so it’s no surprise to see more and more start ups aiming to fill this market niche. It’s a trend that will likely continue for some time.
