“NOTE: In August 2022, Adaptive Energy LLC was acquired by Edge Autonomy.”
Collaboration reinforces commitment to improving disaster resilience and operating critical railway infrastructure safely by keeping crossings and signals powered during grid outages
Ann Arbor, Michigan (May 5, 2021) — Adaptive Energy, LLC, a leading manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) for low-wattage backup, offgrid or continuous power, has secured another major contract from strategic partner RedHawk Energy Systems, LLC of Pataskala, Ohio.
The largest single order since COVID crippled global manufacturing and supply chains last March, this contract adds to the existing installation base within North America and provides Adaptive Energy, LLC additional backlog to the fuel cell production line.
Running on commercially available propane, the Performer Series P250i SOFC delivers 24/7 extended-run backup power to charge battery banks at railway crossings, signals and other wayside assets. The Performer Series P250i offers days, weeks and even months of reliable backup power — instead of just hours from more traditional battery-only or gas generator backup systems.
“Rail customers in North America rely on our Performer products to minimize downtime of signal infrastructure at remote line segments and in areas prone to extended weather-induced outages,” said Michael Edison, CEO of Adaptive Energy, LLC. “This latest contract is an exciting step forward in our long-standing partnership with RedHawk Energy, which is recognized by the rail industry as a premiere advanced energy system provider.”
Designed to provide 250 watts of extended backup to AC-powered locations during utility grid outages, the Performer Series P250i can also supplement standalone solar and wind power systems in the winter months or during other periods of limited sunlight. Using a Performer Series P250i for backup means maintainers aren’t making site visits during a crisis to refuel, repair or replace equipment to keep critical infrastructure up.
“One of the reasons our rail customers get excited about the P250i SOFC is because it’s highly automated and they’re not forced to send out personnel in the middle of an outage event to babysit gas/diesel generators,” said Matt Ulrich, Rail Sales for RedHawk Energy Systems, LLC.
The P250i works by utilizing voltage sensing leads and a remote temperature probe to detect battery voltage and temperature. When batteries dip below a set threshold voltage, the P250i automatically cycles on, and after a brief startup period will charge the batteries until an upper threshold voltage is reached. At that point the system automatically begins to cool down then returns to standby mode.
For RedHawk’s rail customers, the Performer Series P250i is mounted in an environmentally secure cabinet, which includes a compartment for propane tanks as well as remote monitoring hardware that tracks system health and fuel levels.
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About Adaptive Energy, LLC:
Adaptive Energy is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells for low wattage backup, offgrid or continuous power — with more than 1 megawatt of microtubular power produced to date. Originating from University of Michigan technology, we offer rugged, low-carbon power solutions, fueled by propane, that are proven in telecommunications, transportation, oil/gas pipeline and military applications.
About Performer Series Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
The Performer Series from Adaptive Energy offers high-efficiency 250W and 1kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for backup and offgrid power. P250i and P1000 are highly durable SOFCs that run on propane, excel in extreme cold and require no routine maintenance. Performer Series products are unique in the market because they are designed as battery tenders to undergo many thermal cycles.
About RedHawk Energy Systems, LLC:
Since the early 1980s, RedHawk Energy Systems, LLC (a manufacturing subsidiary of the Arthur N. Ulrich Company) has helped commercial and industrial customers tackle their critical prime and backup power challenges with fully engineered and innovative AC and DC power solutions (solar and wind, fuel cells, stirling engines, long-run generators, TEGs, ultracapacitor systems and more).
