(Credit: Mitsubishi Power)Three battery energy storage system projects are planned for the southeastern United States that will help stabilize renewable energy generation and add capacity to existing solar sites.
The project from solar and energy storage developer Origis Energy and Mitsubishi Power Americas will bring 150 megawatts and 600-megawatt hours of battery storage to three existing solar generation sites in the region. The projects will take place at Origis facilities using a Mitsubishi storage system.
By adding energy storage systems to the site, Origis says it and adds additional grid services to the renewable energy generation. The company deploys more than 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy in the region, working with municipalities, utilities, and electric cooperatives. The battery energy storage systems are expected to be operational within the next two years.
“Storage of renewably generated power is an increasingly important grid asset,” says Kenneth Kim, vice president of engineering and strategy planning for Origis Energy.
The battery energy storage system will use Mitsubishi Power’s Emerald Integrated Plant Controller, an energy management system, and supervisory control and data acquisition system. Those processes will tell the battery energy storage system when to charge and deploy energy, as well as monitors the status of the system, assesses risk, and provides long-term data storage.
The International Energy Agency says grid-scale storage is a significant piece of net-zero emissions targets, especially because they provide energy resilience. They can offer short-term reserves, secondary services for grid stability, and keep grids operational after a blackout. Battery storage installations increased by 60% in 2021 compared with 2020, according to the IEA.
Several large battery storage projects of more than 500 MW and 2 GW hours of storage are being developed in the Los Angeles area, where energy demand and grid reliability are often a concern, by GridStor. EnerVenue and Pine Gate Renewables are implementing 2.4 GWh of battery storage systems throughout the United States.
Miami-based Origis now has more than 4 GW of operational and contracted solar and battery energy storage system projects in the US. The company also says it has nearly 16 GWh of battery storage projects in development. Mitsubishi Power has more than 2.5 GWh of utility-scale battery energy storage projects in development globally, according to the company.
