Alevo Group, an energy storage provider, says it is deploying an 8 MW, 4 MWh (Four of the containers in the accompanying image) energy storage system in Lewes, Delaware. Alevo has worked with the City of Lewes and the Lewes Board of Public Works (BPW) on the project, which will involve the repurposing of a retired oil-fired generator building once operated by the BPW. Once complete, the deployment will be the largest of its kind in the State of Delaware.
Select a service on the container to learn more, says Alevo website. One function, time-shifting electricity use, means energy storage is key to receiving the potential of renewable energy. Time shifting is also the best way to meet the renewable portfolio goals of states and nations. Alevo GridBanks can increase the integration of renewables by storing energy locally at the wind farm when it can’t be used by the grid, discharging that energy to the grid during peak periods, and smoothing the variable generation output.
The Lewes project is the first announced deployment for Alevo’s GridBanks and follows the company’s inauguration at an official event at its manufacturing facility in Concord, North Carolina in late 2014. At the event, Alevo unveiled plans to deliver massive efficiencies to power generation globally through its innovations in battery technology and data analytics. The GridBank deployment in Lewes is the first in a series of major commercial deployments the company has scheduled for 2016, and follows an operational agreement Alevo struck with Customized Energy Solutions (CES), one of the world’s premier providers of energy market operations services, to provide 200 MW of grid storage to the North American wholesale energy market.
Using Alevo’s GridBank technology, Alevo will be able to sell ancillary services into the PJM regulation market, while providing the city improved power quality, a more reliable electric grid system and the ability to shave peak demand for its customers. The project provides yet another example that energy storage is commercially viable, and it allows stacking of multiple value streams to enhance project economics and provide significant benefits to the electric grid.
Peak shaving offsets the need for new generating capacity to accommodate an increased electricity demand. Peak loads often only occur a few hours a day, leading to an under use of power plants constructed to handle peak demands.
Theodore W. Becker, Mayor of Lewes, said of the announcement, “The Lewes Board of Public Works has high expectations for the Alevo batteries and operating system that will be dispatched through Customized Energy Solutions. Lewes is a small municipal utility located at the “end of the extension cord” of PJM. We have had few options to manage and improve our capacity and transmission charges since taking our generation capacity out of the market in 1999 due to stiffening environmental rules. We also have the dilemma of a significant renewable energy presence in our distribution system, a 1.5 MW wind turbine at the University of Delaware and one of the highest per capita installations of solar, can cause upward pressures for demand costs to the system. The installation of the 8-MW battery will provide a significant tool to manage our capacity charges, our peak demands and transmission charges, and we anticipate it to be a boon for the citizens of Lewes.”
The undertaking by the City of Lewes will be a major contributor to their burgeoning status as an innovative city for implementing energy efficiency measures. SEPA, the solar community’s national Solar Energy Power organization, has ranked the City of Lewes as 10th in the U.S. for solar penetration, and the integration of Alevo GridBanks into its infrastructure will accelerate its capability to improve upon this significantly.
“Lewes BPW is a great partner for Alevo and we look forward to a long relationship with them and other municipalities,” explained Jeff Gates, Vice President, Alevo. “With support from Lewes BPW, Alevo has been able to bring this project to market quickly, which will not only increase the overall efficiency of the PJM grid, but also add significant value to our local partner and their customers.”
Alevo manufacturers energy storage systems to deliver grid-scale electricity on demand. Its innovative battery technology and GridBanks enable new source-agnostic architecture for electrical grids that reduce waste, greenhouse gases and other emissions, create efficiencies and lower costs for the world’s energy producers. Founded in 2009, the company is headquartered in Martigny, Switzerland.
Windpower Engineering & Development
Filed Under: Renewable energy
