Behind the Scenes at Crown Battery

On a frigid day last year during the holiday season, Crown Battery Manufacturing Co. invited Solar Builder for a factory tour at its headquarters in Fremont, Ohio. We were able to see how the company makes its batteries — for applications ranging from automotive, marine, mining and renewable energy — and witness its push to be more green. Not only has the company hopped into the renewable energy industry, it has also installed solar panels, geothermal systems and wind turbines at its assembly plant. Crown also prides itself on its recycling programs and new air-handling system to improve work conditions at the 400-employee factory.

Crown Battery has been in business for almost 90 years and in the last decade or so invested millions into manufacturing and R&D to make advanced technology batteries. Seeing a demand for renewable energy batteries, Crown built a new lead-acid battery from the ground-up. Understanding that renewable energy applications experienced harsher conditions than environments running the tried-and-true automotive battery, Crown redesigned its grids and active lead materials so batteries would last longer.

Solar Builder’s behind-the-scenes tour, expertly given by Aaron Opelt, regional sales manager, gave us an up-close look at how renewable energy batteries are made. All of the company’s batteries are manufactured in the same place using the same processes, so we got to see how many types make their way down the line. Take a look at how an important product in many residential solar installations is built, from start to finish.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/featured/crown-battery/]