Renewable energy with grid-level storage is gradually replacing fossil fuel generating plants around the world, so what's the big deal about an 8 MW (4 MWh) battery bank in Lewes, Delaware? Maybe the fact that it's literally going to be housed in a facility that used to be an oil-burning power plant.
Out with the Dinosaurs
The city of Lewes Delaware once had its own oil-fired power plant. Due to concerns about pollution, the plant was closed in 1999. Since then, the small community at the edge of the grid started purchasing power from the PJM regional grid.
In with the Renewables
The town gradually moved toward renewable energy, including a 1.5 MW wind turbine at the University of Delaware, and now ranks 10th in the nation for solar capacity per capita. But as we know, renewables are intermittent, so a large energy storage facility will gather excess energy when it's abundant and release it when needed.
Alevo (pronounced ah-LAY-vo, and derived from the name of Italian scientist Alessandro Volta), an energy service provider based in Switzerland, opened a US battery manufacturing plant in 2014. The location: an old cigarette factory in North Carolina. Alevo recently announced that it's building the largest battery storage system in the state of Delaware. The 4 MWh storage facility will consist of GridBanks, which feature Alevo's patented third-generation Li-ion batteries. GridBanks are controlled by a set of smart analytics that allow the units to deliver a multitude of grid-level services, such as renewable integration, frequency regulation, peak shaving, and more.
Ancillary Services
In addition to balancing energy supply and demand, increasing reliability, and improving power quality for Lewes, the Alevo system will sell ancillary services to the grid, including frequency regulation, ramping support, and voltage support.
Third Generation Li-ion Batteries
Alevo's batteries are the first ones based on inorganic lithium technology, making them non-flammable and reducing their internal resistance. Lower battery resistance improves power density, increases battery life, reduces heat, and boosts storage efficiency. According to Alevo, its batteries can withstand 100% depth of discharge (DoD) at high discharge rates, and will perform reliably for 50,000 charge/discharge cycles.
Breathe, Breathe in the Air...
Alevo's first US projects include a converted cigarette factory and a repurposed oil-burning power plant. That's a breath of fresh air, times two! But don't sit down, it's time to dig another one: The company recently forged an agreement with Customized Energy Solutions to provide up to 200 MW of grid-level storage across North America.
Batteries seem to be the most versatile way to store electrical energy*. They're portable, efficient, and independent of geography. As battery technology continues to improve, we'll see more renewable energy, on and off the grid, and more electric vehicles on the road. We're headed in the right direction.
*Physicists: Yes, I know batteries store chemical energy, not electrical energy. Technicalities aside, electricity goes in and electricity comes out.
Images courtesy of Alevo
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