Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has extended its energy storage system (ESS) offering with the launch of its latest innovation: the Intensium Flex (I-Flex) battery storage container. It provides a compact building block rated at 3.4, 4.3, or 5.1 MWh for the creation of projects up to the GWh scale. Saft will be showcasing the Intensium Flex in its DC version, with production due to begin by the end of 2025 to serve more than 1 GWh of firm orders already in hand. The company will also be highlighting the next innovation in the range: an AC version due to launch in 2026.
Based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, I-Flex is a high-energy, liquid-cooled, fully integrated system engineered to ensure high levels of safety and operational reliability under intense use conditions. Its flexibility enables the optimized design of multiple storage system configurations to serve any mix of applications, from long-duration time-shifting of renewable resources to dynamic short-duration grid services.
Saft’s Intensium Flex battery containers can be connected in parallel to create flexible BESS solutions, maximizing revenue in configurations from 2 to 8 hours. Thermal insulation allows for back-to-back and side-by-side installation, significantly reducing the system’s footprint. The current DC version is compatible with multiple power conversion systems (PCS), while the future AC version will integrate DC to AC conversion within the same enclosure, further optimizing footprint and simplifying on-site installation and commissioning.
The key feature of the Intensium Flex is its enhanced thermal management that enables a 300% daily energy throughput even with the highly compact assembly of the battery modules. This is made possible by the efficient cooling system for the modules and the battery management module (BMM) together with a powerful, integrated heat exchanger cooling circuit. The focus on maintaining temperature homogeneity across the battery modules is critical to ensure system performance and a long service life.
Ensuring safety has been a fundamental aspect of Saft’s product development since the debut of the first Li-ion ESS in 2012. After a decade of field experience and in light of the challenges posed by ever-increasing energy density and new standards, I-Flex implements a new holistic safety concept designed to prevent fire, toxic gas emissions, and explosions.
It is factory-assembled, tested, and certified ready for delivery to the site as a plug-and-play energy storage solution that ensures a best-in-class safety solution, in line with future NFPA 8551* requirements. It is housed in a well-proven, standard ISO container for easy transportation by sea and road.
It also offers a high level of cybersecurity that exceeds current market requirements due to Saft’s in-house battery management system (BMS) as well as design and sourcing of key components in the EU and the US.
I-Flex is complemented by Saft’s I-Sight cloud-based data management control and supervision platform that combines AI and machine learning for remote, real-time performance monitoring and predictive maintenance of BESS installations.
About Saft
Saft specializes in advanced technology battery solutions for industry, from the design and development to the production, customization, and service provision. For more than 100 years, Saft’s longer-lasting batteries and systems have provided critical safety applications, backup power, and propulsion for customers. Their innovative, safe, and reliable technology delivers high performance on land, at sea, in the air, and in space.
Saft is powering industry and smarter cities while providing critical backup functionality in remote and harsh environments from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert. Saft is a wholly owned subsidiary of TotalEnergies, a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity.
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