Dive Brief:
- Renewable Energy Systems (RES) Americas will develop and construct two grid-scale 19.8 MW battery storage systems outside of Chicago, each having the ability to store 7.8 megawatt-hours MWh of energy. The company says the project will be the largest commercial storage facility in North America when it is completed
- Construction is expected to begin on both projects this winter with completion by August 2015. The projects will both provide real-time frequency regulation service to the PJM ancillary services market and are interconnected to the local Commonwealth Edison electric grid.
- The storage projects are expected to operate for at least ten years. RES Americas acquired the projects during the development phase from Glidepath Power in September of 2014.
Dive Insight:
Energy storage is a hot topic at the moment, with a huge proposal by Texas' Oncor being floated and California utilities Southern California Edison and PG&E each making announcements. Now, RES Americas said it intends to construct almost 40 MW of energy storage outside of Chicago.
The first project, Elwood Energy Storage Center, will be located in West Chicago and the second project, Jake Energy Storage Center, will be located in Joliet. RES Americas acquired the projects during the development phase from Glidepath Power in September of 2014.
“The Jake and Elwood Energy Storage Centers represent commercial installations of cutting-edge energy storage technology” said Victor Babbitt, RES Americas vice president of energy storage. “These projects will increase the reliability and quality of ComEd’s grid in these communities which, in turn, may help attract new business that demands a high-quality & reliable electricity supply. We are excited to work with our host communities in the Cities Joliet and West Chicago to make these high-tech projects a reality.”
The project's frequency regulation service balances variations in load and generation by absorbing excess energy during moments of over-generation and releasing energy during periods of under-generation to maintain power quality. This project efficiency is designed to allow PJM to deliver higher electrical quality, higher reliability, and lower cost to electricity consumers than traditional sources, said RES Americas.
