ZBB Energy Corporation, a provider of distributed intelligent power management platforms, has acquired Tier Electronics, LLC, a Wisconsin-based power electronics firm, in order to expand its product portfolio of advanced power management systems, customer base, as well as its served market.

According to a press release, ZBB Energy acquired Tier Electronics for a $1.35 million promissory note paid over three years, 800,000 shares of common stock and assumption of approximately $900,000 of liabilities including customer deposits of approximately $350,000.

According to ZBB, it has been serving a variety of global markets, including utility, government, industrial, and residential end customers. Its distributed intelligent power management platforms directly integrate multiple renewable and conventional onsite generation sources with rechargeable zinc bromide flow batteries and other storage technology.

By acquiring Tier Electronics, ZBB will be able to provide a complete range of energy storage, utilization and management solutions that range from wind and solar converters to power quality, micro-grid systems and hybrid electric drives for vehicles.

Officials with ZBB Energy said in a press release that the company was attracted to Tier Electronics due to its ability to design differentiated products that are modular, cost-effective, rapidly manufactured and market ready.

In addition, Tier Electronics’ power electronics portfolio not only aligns perfectly with company’s target markets, but also complements ZBB's Power and Energy Control Center (PECC) technology.

According to ZBB, this acquisition would enable the company to provide further diversification and revenue in rapid growth markets, such as grid-tie inverters for wind and solar (marketed as Solindro), common DC bus systems for micro-grid and remote power stations (marketed as GridLand), hybrid electric vehicle drive controllers for commercial vehicles, line regulators, and ruggedized systems for a variety of military mobile, stationary and transportable applications.

Officials with ZBB said that this acquisition would enable both the companies to combine their technologies and change the way the world experiences power. Some of the target markets that can leverage the combined technologies of both the companies include micro-grids, commercial buildings, remote operations, communication towers, electric vehicle charging, and more.

Jeff Reichard, founder and lead technical designer for Tier Electronics, said in a statement, "The acquisition combines Tier's power conversion expertise with ZBB's system applications experience to create innovative design, rapid-turnaround and price performance capabilities in a variety of markets, including alternative energy and power quality."

Reichard added, "We're living in a world where the alternative energy sector is evolving. Cars are going from liquid fuel to electric, utilization of direct-current micro-grids is increasing and the shift from coal to renewable energy is growing by the day. We believe the combination with ZBB puts Tier's designs in a stronger position to have an immediate impact in today's rapidly changing alternative energy landscape."

Reichard will serve as president of Tier Electronics, as ZBB's vice president of electronics development, and as a member of ZBB Energy's Board of Directors. 

In recent news, ZBB Energy won contracts in China to provide energy storage systems for use in solar power projects and also to provide improved power quality for a petrochemical manufacturing plant.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications & technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2011, taking place Feb 2-4, 2011, in Miami. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.