Batteries donated from Rolls Battery Engineering have a global impact
Rolls Battery Engineering is playing an instrumental role in creating good by donating its batteries for two very worthy causes. The company’s generosity is making a positive domestic and global impact for off-grid communities.
Based in Nova Scotia, long-established Surrette Battery Company (BCI member company) manufactures a wide range of Rolls-branded premium deep cycle batteries, as well as LiFePO4 lithium solutions, used in renewable energy, marine, motive power and railroad applications.
Domestic support: Annual Solar Games competition
Given its focus on green energy innovation, the company has made equipment donations to an annual event called the Solar Games. Launched in 2020, the competition invites teams of solar installers to compete in timed tasks that simulate real installations, following code requirements and safety protocols. The live-build competition is hosted by Intersolar & Energy Storage North America at its premier annual gathering.
Rolls Battery Engineering specifically donates batteries for the off-grid portion of the competition. It’s a donation whose benefits go physically far beyond the Solar Games, thanks to a network of event sponsors.
Global impact: Batteries get second life in off-grid electrification projects
After the competition, Rolls’ batteries are donated to the non-profit organization Twende Solar. Twende Solar, which empowers communities with reliable, sustainable electricity, uses the donated equipment to build off-grid solar energy systems in Third World countries—often in rural schools, health clinics, or community centers. These solar installations can replace noisy, diesel-reliant generators to provide more reliable, cleaner power to some of the 1 billion people living without access to reliable electricity. In addition to building the systems, the installation teams also educate students about the capabilities of solar power and energy storage. (Watch this video to see a recent project in Ethiopia.)
Jeff Myles, is marketing manager at Rolls Battery Engineering. He also serves on the Solar Games advisory board and helped plan the original competition in 2020. The event has evolved to ask sponsors for specific equipment that aligns with Twende Solar’s next project.
“If there’s a particular need for a project that Twende Solar has coming up, we do our best to select an appropriate battery from our broad range of products,” Myles explained. Over the years, Rolls Battery Engineering has donated lithium, flooded lead-acid and their sealed AGM batteries.
Twende Solar usually completes one major project annually, either using all the equipment in one installation or dividing it across multiple installs. Either way, sponsors like Rolls Battery Engineering see their donations making a significant impact—including in an upcoming project in the rural community of Bompaso, Ghana.
Offering energy storage expertise, too
In addition to donating products for the Solar Games, Rolls Battery Engineering is stepping up to offer additional guidance for upcoming project recipients.
“Working with project organizers, the first step is to determine what amount of energy storage a particular project needs,” Myles said. “We’re hoping to meet that storage requirement for that particular setup using Rolls’ batteries and facilitating co-sponsors.”
Battery Council International thanks all sponsors of the Solar Games for donating their products and expertise to connect our communities!
