Commercial Lithium-ion Battery System Boasts a Life Expectancy of 12,000 Charge Cycles

Rye, NY, August 26, 2015... VARTA Micro Group, a global leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of an extensive variety of high-technology rechargeable and primary batteries, today announced that its subsidiary VARTA Storage GmbH has released the VARTA Flex System. The Flex System is comprised of a 24 kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cabinet, power electronics and control unit. Optimized for employment in commercial environments, the VARTA Flex System features a long cycle life in excess of 12,000 cycles at 100% DOD (Depth of Discharge). Depending on customer needs and applications, the system can be adjusted to different size and capacity settings up to 1 MWh. VARTA Storage will introduce the system at Solar Power International, held September 14-17, 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA. Additionally on exhibit will be the Engion Sentry energy storage system for residential and commercial back-up applications. VARTA Storage products may be remotely controlled and monitored from a smartphone or the Internet.

"The new VARTA Flex System is specially engineered for commercial applications including demand response participation programs, and is a significant addition to VARTA's growing portfolio of solar energy storage solutions for the commercial and residential markets," stated William Flanagan, President and CEO of VARTA Microbattery. "We have long recognized the precise requirements of commercial meter customers seeking a robust and reliable system that allows cost-effective participation in electric utility demand response programs, as well as ensuring power is available 24/7. We are very excited to deliver this total lithium-ion battery and battery management system solution which will operate continuously for many, many years."

Offered for use in an array of solar power systems, the VARTA Flex System is fully compatible with standard 480-volt, 3-phase AC inverters. It is suited for demand response programs enabling commercial end-use electric customers to reduce their electricity usage in a given time period, or shift that usage to another time period in response to a price signal, a financial incentive, an environmental condition or a reliability signal. The VARTA Flex System provides reliable emergency standby non-critical power while ensuring customers are able to minimize and manage their electricity costs through the peek shaving process, and participate in electricity arbitrage systems.

The VARTA Flex System is supplied in a ventilated enclosure, and may be ordered with battery racks providing from 24 kWh to 1000 kWh. This facilitates their use in stationary storage applications requiring output power from 30 kW to 1000 kW.

The system is delivered with a 5-year standard warranty; optional longer warranties are available.

For additional information regarding the VARTA Flex System, contact Robert Magyar at (267) 614-3145, or at info.us@varta-storage.com.