Bidirectional power supply enables wide range of applications

With the steady growth of renewable energies and electromobility, energy storage and thus the ability to transmit energy bidirectionally is becoming more and more important – because bidirectional power supplies do more than just allow surplus energy from wind and solar power to be fed into the grid and drawn out again when required. They can also help to counteract fluctuations in the grid and improve network stability. The electric vehicles market also benefits from bidirectional charging stations – as well as charging the vehicle battery, they also enable energy to be fed back into the grid or the vehicle to be used as a mobile power source.

The use of batteries involves the charging, storage, and discharging of energy. Making this energy conversion as efficient as possible means using devices with high conversion efficiency. One such device is MEAN WELL’s BIC-2200 bidirectional charger. Combining the functions of a charger and an inverter in a single device, it acts as both a power source and a load. This reduces both the overall cost and the installation space required in applications.

• High efficiency: With 93% efficiency, the BIC-2200 converts direct current into alternating current and vice versa, and delivers THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) of <3% in both conversion modes.

• Ultrafast switching: AC/DC and DC/AC switching in just 1ms.

• Active parallel operation up to 11,000W (4+1) and charging/discharging mode.

• Fully digital 2.2 kW power supplies with energy recycling in a low-profile 1U design.

Numerous protection functions give a wide-ranging application spectrum: anti-islanding, AC fail, DC-OVP, OLP, OCP and OTP.

The application areas for bidirectional power supplies are manifold. They allow energy to be exchanged between different sources and loads, for example in smart grids and decentralised energy systems, and ensure greater flexibility in energy management. They allow energy to be recovered and stored, a crucial characteristic for renewable energy systems. And with their ability to feed energy back into the mains network, voltage fluctuations can be balanced out, load peaks reduced, and renewable energies used flexibly – resulting in lower power costs in home energy storage systems and companies.

With its safety functions and other features, the BIC-2200 power supply is predestined for the wide range of applications of the battery industry. In the development and manufacture of lithium batteries, bidirectional power supplies play an indispensable role, e.g. in charge and discharge tests, ensuring that battery performance meets specifications and characteristics. The BIC-2200 is also used in the battery formation and grading process when charging batteries.

The recycling of lithium batteries (from passenger vehicles) is playing an increasingly important role. To avoid fires and explosions during battery dismantling, lithium batteries must first be discharged until their voltage is below the safety threshold. The BIC-2200 can be utilised effectively for this purpose, feeding the energy released from the battery back into the power grid and making it available to other AC devices.

These properties make the BIC-2200 power supply an important component of modern energy infrastructures. The units are certified to CB/TÜV/UL 62368-1 and come with a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty from Mean Well. The series is now in stock at Schukat.

Schukat electronic offers power supplies from a range of manufacturers, including MEAN WELL, Self Electronics, and Recom Power. Schukat stocks around 6000 different types of power supplies and DC/DC converters in production quantities at its automated central warehouse in Monheim am Rhein, Germany.
As a distributor, they provide fast, competent support with direct contact persons, and also offer an expert field service team for on-site problem solving. Customers benefit from rapid processing of enquiries, availability of data sheets and samples, and variable delivery quantities, from samples to series production.

Their technical sales team is ready to help when selecting suitable power supply products and for any customer-specific questions you may have.