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They also offer 5 to 10 times more discharge cycles and double or even triple the useful service life. Lithium-ion batteries suffer four times less self-discharge, weigh less, recharge in a quarter of the time required by a VRLA battery, and are capable of delivering maximum performance at a temperature of 40°C, making them suitable for harsh environments.

With so many benefits, you might wonder why they haven’t been used in UPS units before now. Essentially, the reasons are both financial and functional. The initial outlay for a lithium-ion battery is around 50% more than for a VRLA, and this has slowed their uptake. In addition, they suffered from a slight imbalance between factors such as safety and reliability on the one hand, and density and power on the other.

The turning point for lithium-ion

These drawbacks have now been overcome thanks to technological development and lower prices; in fact, when you consider the investment as a whole, lithium-ion batteries are now the more economical option. Indeed, the higher initial cost (CapEx) mentioned above is more than offset by the approximately 60% decrease in installation and operating costs (OpEx) over the useful life of the battery. Consequently, the 10-year total cost of ownership (or in other words, the total investment during that period, which roughly equates to the useful life of a lithium-ion battery) is 40% lower.

Salicru offers the option of installing lithium-ion batteries in many of its UPS systems, such as the SLC X-TRA series recently supplied to the Pharmaceutical Federation’s (FEDEFARMA) new automated logistics centre in Palau de Plegamans (Barcelona). The SLC X-TRA three-phase UPS, which supplies 800 kVA of power and provides 10 minutes of capacity range, guarantees the continuity of a top-quality power supply, at all times, for facilities that need to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Moreover, to further illustrate Salicru’s capacity for innovation, the company has supplied two 500 kVA UPS units with lithium-ion batteries (in this instance, from the SLC ADAPT series) to the Alcurnia Group. The purpose of these UPS units is to protect all of the equipment used in the fruit sterilisation process, from PLCs and compressors to conveyor belts and washing systems. Their use in such a harsh environment also serves to demonstrate the units’ robustness.

Lastly, Salicru’s latest technological achievements include the new SLC TWIN RT2 LION series, which also boasts lithium-ion batteries.