Anderson County, South Carolina has announced it will build an energy storage project at the Anderson Civic Center that will be part of the area's long-term strategy to integrate battery technology into the smart grid that Duke Energy Carolinas is building. The battery project will also provide power to a facility that is critical during emergency situations, such as being the site of a hurricane evacuation shelter.
The 5-megawatt lithium ion battery will be grid-tied and available for use by the utility’s grid operators. The battery storage system will benefit all Duke Energy Carolinas customers by helping grid operators more efficiently manage the grid, providing additional energy options and improving grid stability during periods of peak customer demand.
The battery storage project will be located on land adjacent to the Anderson Civic Center and will also serve as back-up power for the facility. The battery will be able to power the Civic Center in the event of an outage for at least 30 hours based on the facility's normal usage.
The utility recently submitted a request to the Public Service Commission of South Carolina to approve a provision of the lease agreement for the land from Anderson County. Once the final engineering study for connection to the power grid is complete later this year, the project will go through a competitive bidding process for construction and is expected to be in service in early 2021.
This project is part of the utility's ongoing plans to invest $500 million in battery storage projects across the Carolinas over the next 15 years.
