Prudent Energy Announces Solar Energy Storage Initiative with CPUC, SunPower, PG&E, Others in California

BETHESDA, Md., March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Prudent Energy, the designer, manufacturer, and integrator of the patented Vanadium Redox Battery Energy Storage System (VRB-ESS®), has been awarded a grant from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in cooperation with SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB), Pacific Gas and Electric, KEMA, and Sandia National Laboratories of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to build and operate a VRB-ESS® with SunPower's photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Prudent Energy's clean energy storage project is a welcome addition to the CPUC's California Solar Initiative (CSI) Research, Development, Deployment and Demonstration (RD&D) Plan.  Prudent's "flow battery" system works like a rechargeable fuel cell, where chemical energy is converted to electrical energy at a moment's notice.  In particular, Prudent's VRB-ESS® will help SunPower's commercial customers reduce their energy costs by drawing on stored power during those few hours each day when the sun goes down, but electricity usage and rates remain high.  The system is thus expected to substantially improve the economics of distributed solar energy technologies.

"We are very excited to join SunPower, the CPUC, DOE, PG&E, and our other partners in this project," said Jeff Pierson, Prudent Energy's senior vice president.  "Prudent's Vanadium Redox Battery is an excellent fit in the distributed solar market.  We expect to give California ratepayers what they want most – major savings on their electric utility bills."

Prudent Energy is responsible for a 100 kW, 300 kWh turn-key VRB-ESS®, scheduled for completion this fall.  The location has not been announced.  The project comes on the heels of another recent announcement that Prudent Energy was building and operating a 600 kW, 3.6 MWh VRB-ESS® facility at Gills Onions in Oxnard, California.

About Prudent Energy

Prudent Energy is the designer, manufacturer, and integrator of the patented Vanadium Redox Battery Energy Storage System (VRB-ESS®), a long-life advanced "flow battery" system.  With over three megawatts of VRB® projects installed or under development, Prudent Energy helps power utilities store and sell large amounts of electricity production that might otherwise be wasted.  Prudent's VRB-ESS® can match up to 40 megawatt-hours of power supply precisely with demand, within milliseconds, for almost countless times each day.  Utility customers can therefore balance load, bridge generation from one plant to another, and regulate voltage and frequency – all in one affordable, low maintenance system.  Prudent also sells or leases VRB® systems to commercial onsite generators and telecoms companies to reduce their operating expenses and provide backup power.  Unlike other flow battery systems, Prudent's VRB® operates at room temperature and the energy-holding electrolyte never wears out.  In addition, customers only buy the capacity they need and can easily add energy and power in modular fashion, making the VRB-ESS® an ideal choice for renewable energy integration, remote area power supplies, and smart grids.

Prudent Energy Corporation, a Delaware corporation headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is a wholly owned subsidiary of JD Holding, Inc., which is owned by leading U.S. venture capital and other technology investors.  VRB®, VRB-ESS®, and VRB ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM® are registered trademarks of JD Holding, Inc. JD Holding, Inc. is the owner of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,143,443, 6,468,688, 6,562,514, 7,078,123, 7,181,183, 7,184,903, 7,227,275, 7,265,456, 7,353,083, 7,389,189, 7,517,608 7,740,977, and corresponding foreign patents covering core cell stack designs, electrolyte composition, system designs, and VRB® use with wind farms, off-grid applications and smart grids.  Additional patent rights are pending.   www.pdenergy.com.

SOURCE Prudent Energy