Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, recently announced its first large scale, international installation of an inverter system designed to control the flow of electric current between the power grid and banks of storage batteries in an energy storage system. The company, through its SSD Drives Division, participated in a project to install a 12 megawatt energy storage system at a sub-station in the Atacama Desert, Chile, which is being managed by a subsidiary of AES Corporation, a Fortune 500 global power generation and distribution company.

"This power conversion technology is just one of a range of technologies we are bringing to bear in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges of our time," said Don Washkewicz, Chairman, President and CEO of Parker Hannifin.

The installation combines Parker AC890PX inverters and a lithium-ion battery system from A123 Systems. According to Parker, this technology helps the local system operator manage fluctuations in demand for electricity and regulate frequency in a less expensive, more efficient manner than traditional approaches. The system operates as a contingency reserve, meaning that it stores energy, maintaining a charge on the battery banks.

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