The Shanghai Yangshan Deep-Water Port is a national-grade super harbor connected to the mainland by a 20-mile long bridge.

Simultaneous operation of the many high-power, variable-voltage, variable-frequency (VVVF) cranes can create power demand peaks that overload the local electric grid. The ultracapacitor-based power system buffers those demand peaks to minimize their impact to the grid.

Liaoning Baina, a Maxwell-certified integrator, installed the ultracapacitor bank into a control center where the system can communicate with the inverter while transferring data—such as system and module voltage, current and temperature—and send an alarm to back-end monitoring software. Equipment operation managers can monitor and operate the system via touch screens at each ultracapacitor bank that display the status of the bank.

Using ultracapacitors for electrical grid network stabilization when the cranes are in operation eliminates voltage supply interruptions so the cranes can consistently lift loads and avoid the costs associated with port operation disruptions.

The 10-year estimated lifespan of the ultracapacitor-based power system is double our initial expectation, reducing the maintenance cost worries we would have had with batteries.

—Jie Huang, a project manager and chief design engineer at ISSON

Maxwell's Heavy Transportation Module provides the high power bursts that voltage sag applications require more efficiently than batteries, plus its long life means it can operate effectively for up to 10 years with little to no maintenance. The Heavy Transportation Module includes balancing, monitoring and thermal management capabilities, so the ultracapacitor module can be charged and discharged rapidly and repeatedly while maintaining its high reliability and long operational life.