East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc. was awarded a $2.2 million grant from the United States Department of Energy for a grid-scale energy storage demonstration using the UltraBattery® technology.

The Smart Grid project will involve building a new facility on the Lyon Station, PA manufacturing site that will be used as a working demonstration to provide regulation ancillary and demand management services to the Metropolitan Edison Electric Utility Company (Met-Ed).

The completed energy storage system will use UltraBattery® technology, which combines an asymmetric ultracapacitor and a lead-acid battery in one unit, eliminating the need for additional electronic control. The system will be designed to sell up to 3 MW of frequency regulation to Integrys, a designated load serving entity of Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland Interconnection. It will also provide demand management service to Met-Ed during specified peak power periods, up to 1MWh for 1 to 4 hours.

The appropriation from the Federal Government is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. East Penn was one of two Pennsylvania companies to secure funding. East Penn’s commitment to lead-acid and other advancements in new battery technology has availed the company unique opportunities in new markets. The company remains on the forefront of exploring the many possibilities of advanced lead-acid batteries in Smart Grid technology.

East Penn is a leading manufacturer of high quality lead-acid batteries and accessories for the automotive, telecommunications, UPS, commercial, marine, and motive power markets. The company’s quality and environmental systems for its entire 520-acre complex have been certified to ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949:2002, and ISO 14001:2004 requirements. For more information contact East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc., Lyon Station, PA 19536 or visit the company web site at www.dekabatteries.com.