By Kristy Dorsey
Dundee-based Albacom has joined forces with a nearby battery storage specialist to expand into the market for technology to optimise the use of renewable energy.
The engineering and design company has paid an undisclosed six-figure sum to buy half of Genista, a firm set up in Kirriemuir in May 2019 by founder Graham Hall. Genista provides battery solutions that can be configured to store anywhere between 30KW up to multiple megawatts of energy when available from renewable sources, which is then released later when needed.
Genista Energy will be the trading name of the new joint venture, with Mr Hall as managing director. Albacom chief executive Jim Davidson will join the board of Genista as a non-executive director.
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Albacom, which grew from the 1990 buy-out of the Dundee division of Ferranti, produces electrical components for the global defence and aviation industries. It will manufacture Genista systems for UK and international customers from its 14,000sq ft office and factory facility.
The two firms have 28 employees, but this is expected to grow with the increasing demand for storage systems amid the shift to smart and renewable energy sources. It is thought that up to 20 jobs could be created during the next two years across engineering, design and manufacturing operations.
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“We anticipate demand for our battery storage for electric vehicle charging where it will be possible to store energy generated during daylight hours from PV on car ports to charge fleet vehicles overnight, cutting costs and carbon,” Mr Hall said.
“Retail parks are using similar technology to provide power for charging EV while their customers shop. In industry, battery systems can offset peak usage tariffs and prevent production losses by providing continuity of supply.”
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