Advanced Communication Energy

Batteries are the foundation of energy storage in communications and data networks. Batteries ensure wireless and wireline networks remain on even during grid failures. In areas where electrical grids are not available, batteries are essential to storing energy generated by weather-dependent renewable sources such as solar and wind. These fundamental solutions to energy storage are ubiquitous, helping to keep the world connected and functioning.

Despite the essential role batteries play in ensuring network continuity, network operators are often blind to their status. Frequently, operators find out that batteries are unable to support the load only after they receive an alarm, which is typically too late to ensure network continuity. External battery monitoring systems can provide awareness of the battery’s status, but the cost and installation efforts are not trivial. A new approach is the advent of Advanced Connected Energy (ACE), a technique which embeds a low energy communication or Internet of Things (IoT) device into the battery which can communicate via Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) either at the site or remotely via a smartphone app, SDK (Software Defined Kit), or controller. The chip not only provides real-time access to performance when the battery is in service, but also enables the user to know the charge status during shipping or while stored in a warehouse.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce this new Advanced Connected Energy technique, explain how it works and present its benefit for various use cases.