Largest Battery Storage Pilot Project Underway in Virginia

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Dominion Energy Virginia received approval from the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to move forward with four battery storage pilot projects, which total 16 MWs are the largest projects of their kind in Virginia. The company will utilize lithium-ion batteries, like those found in electric vehicles, to better understand how this emerging technology can be integrated into various applications to benefit customers.

These projects are enabled by the Grid Transformation & Security Act of 2018, which allows Dominion Energy to invest in up to 30 MWs of battery storage pilot projects.

According to Dominion Energy, the utility will pilot the 16 MWs of battery storage to better understand how best to deploy batteries across its system to integrate renewables and provide grid reliability by filling gaps due to the inherent intermittency of solar and wind power.

The four Central Virginia-based projects will cost approximately $33 million to construct and will provide key information on distinct use cases for batteries on the energy grid. The pilots will be evaluated over a five-year period once operational, currently expected to be in first quarter of 2021.

1. Two battery systems totaling 12 MWs at the Scott Solar facility in Powhatan County will provide information on the proficiency of battery technology to store energy generated from solar panels during periods of high production and release energy during periods when load is high or solar generation is low. It would also reveal how well a battery can optimize power production of the solar facility.
2. A 2-MW battery at a substation in the Town of Ashland, Hanover County will bolster the existing grid capacity to serve customers during times of high energy demand without the need to engage in wholesale equipment upgrades.
3. A 2-MW battery at a substation in New Kent County serving a 20-MW solar facility will demonstrate how batteries can help manage voltage and loading issues caused by reverse energy flow, to maintain stable power delivery to our customers.