The new standard for fuses for energy storage installations has introduced two new categories into the world of fuse links. SIBA has its own range of products for these new segments and the company has benefited from the fact that its development team has been in preparation for the new standard for some time.
The new IEC 60 269-7 standard was published just before Christmas. Two completely new utilisation categories now provide enhanced safety for the increasingly high-performance energy storage systems now in operation. Back in 2010 the standards committees responded to the special challenges facing PV systems by introducing the gPV class and battery storage installations are now to be given similar protection. The challenges facing electric protection are very real indeed: such systems have capacity ratings of several hundred MWh and require a special level of protection. After all, short-circuit currents of hundreds of kA are still possible. By introducing the full-range category gBat and the partial-range category aBat the new standard now provides a more precise definition of the requirements to be met by safety fuses of this type.
The SIBA range of gBat and aBat fuses is designed to meet the requirements for low overload and high breaking capacity in every part of the battery system. To achieve this SIBA engineers have developed a range of fuse inserts for voltages of up to DC 1500 V. The new product line gives users the option of choosing between various types: from small cylinder fuses (10 A) to SQB 4 fuses with current ratings of up to 1800 A.
SIBA has also been focusing on the problem of selectivity – and has come up with a proprietary tool that can simulate any battery system layout so that the correct fuse can be selected at every stage.
SIBA's large product portfolio and matching services package are the result of proactive technological development in-house. And of course as SIBA engineers have already been passing on their technical expertise to the various normative committees, it has been possible for some time to predict the direction that the new standard would take. SIBA has therefore been in a position to make well-informed preparations – and is already working on a further expansion of its products and product portfolio.
For more information on the gBat and aBat product line see our brochure "Best for BESS".
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