ABB won an order to deliver two PowerStore microgrid units to Kodiak Electric Association (KEA), a rural electric cooperative that generates and distributes electrical power using hydro, wind, battery energy storage, and diesel generation sets to produce power for the Kodiak Island in Alaska.
The ABB PowerStore units will provide voltage and frequency support for a new crane to be installed at Kodiak Island’s port facility. They can also extend the life of the battery systems by up to 6 years and provide renewables integration by helping to manage the intermittencies from a 9 MW wind farm on the island.
According to KEA, the ABB PowerStores allow it to shave the peaks off its cranes’ load.
The ABB PowerStore solution features flywheel technology to store energy. This flywheel can be rapidly charged/discharged at a high duty cycle without experiencing performance degradation, whereas batteries will suffer chemical wear-and-tear during partial or rapid charge/discharge cycles.