Viridi Announces Strategic Partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to Advance Grid Resilience and Reliability

Viridi, the industry leader in fail-safe battery energy storage systems (BESS), announced a strategic partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, to support research into next-generation utility grid technologies that advance grid resilience and reliability.  As part of the partnership, Viridi's BESS was selected and installed at ORNL's Grid Research Innovation and Development Center (GRID-C) as part of the testing platform for a DOE resource integration and evaluation project. 

This research began with ORNL developing a system for controlling clusters of grid resources to meet utility needs. The developed technology was first tested in an indoor laboratory using emulated energy sources and battery storage. But it was important to follow up with testing in a live grid with real resources to correct any issues emerging from complex equipment interactions and real-world battery charging dynamics.

Viridi’s RPS 150 was installed at GRID-C’s Power Distribution Field Test Site to support the research. ORNL integrated its converter system with Viridi’s battery to validate the technology. Testing has now concluded, and ORNL is expected to present the project's findings in the coming months. 

“This project bridges an important gap by integrating real electrical equipment to understand realistic performance challenges, proving the robustness of ORNL’s new control strategies and AC/DC architecture for supporting the future grid," said Dr. Madhu Sudhan Chinthavali, Electrical Systems Integration Program Manager at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. "Viridi’s battery integrated seamlessly with our management system, and its engineering team supported our researchers throughout testing and integration, making them a valuable partner." 

As demand on the electric grid continues to grow, BESSs have become a critical component of grid infrastructure. Utilities across the country are under increasing pressure to modernize aging grid systems, integrate distributed energy resources, and improve resilience against disruptions. The ability to coordinate energy storage across multiple components of the grid is emerging as one of the most important capabilities in that effort. 

"Being selected by Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support the project is a milestone for Viridi and a validation of what we have built”, said Jon M. Williams, CEO, Viridi. “When a DOE national lab chooses your technology to support their research, it is the highest bar a battery system can meet. We built Viridi's fail-safe BESS to perform in exactly these kinds of environments, and we are proud to be partnering with ORNL to advance the grid modernization solutions that utilities across the country need.” 

The collaboration marks the beginning of an ongoing research relationship between Viridi and ORNL, with additional joint projects planned. For Viridi, the partnership represents a significant step in its mission to bring safe, reliable battery energy storage to the infrastructure applications that matter most, from grid modernization research to real-world utility deployment. 

Viridi | www.viridiparente.com

Oak Ridge National Laboratory | https://www.ornl.gov/