SatCon lands phase II of secret power pulse system

Power management company SatCon (Nasdaq CM: SATC) has been awarded phase two of a mystery contract for an unnamed customer.

SatCon says its Applied Technology division has been awarded an additional $2.5M contract with a California customer for "the next phase of pulse power equipment capable of providing 8.8 megawatts of power for several seconds."

The total system is to have pulse power capabilities in excess of 18 megawatts.

Delivery of the first stage is scheduled for next month, and this new Stage 2 delivery is scheduled for this October.

The pulse power application involves an adaptation of SatCon’s high power electronics and flywheel energy storage products.

the Cleantech Group previously reported on the first phase of the project (see SatCon lands $2.7M - apparently military - contract) but industry observers had in recent months downplayed any military or defense-related connection with the project.

Today, SatCon VP of programs Steve Cobb confirmed to the Cleantech Group today that the project is non-military, non-DoD, nor is it even government.

"This is just an application where they've run into an issue that the power company couldn't provide the 20 MW they needed. This is a way around that that's economical for them. The application pulls 400 KW off the grid at a time to our flywheels, and they can get a short term 20 MW out of it."

The technology has applicability to both civilian and government customers, the company said.

SatCon is a developer and manufacturer of electronics and generators/motors for a number of renewable energy and other power markets. It employes about 240 people.

Cleantech developments making news in the past 24 hours

• 'Mittelstand' drives Germany's cleantech boom
• Israel allows first solar power plants

View the last week of cleantech developments here | Subscribe to full feed