Charlotte, NC — The SSD Drives Division of Parker Hannifin Corporation has provided an inverter and control system to AES Energy Storage for their 12 MW frequency regulation and spinning reserve project at AES Gener’s Los Andes substation in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The commissioning ceremony took place November 16. The project will help improve the reliability of the electric grid in Northern Chile and uses a lithium-ion battery system from A123 Systems.

This Parker system represents the largest of several similar projects that have used Parker Hannifin power conversion equipment in utility scale installations. By using a modular design, SSD AC890PX series inverters can be configured to meet the total power requirements of the installation. Solid state energy storage systems like this one offer the advantages of high efficiency, speed of response, and minimal maintenance when compared to traditional approaches using pumped water, compressed air, or flywheels.

This is Parker’s first project with AES Energy Storage outside the U.S. and is also the first lithium-ion battery system to be deployed to the electric grid in Chile. In 2008 a Parker SSD system was used on a 1 MW Ancillary Services unit in the Northeast. Earlier this year a system was provided for a 2 MW Hybrid-APU™ at one of AES’ Southern California power plants to help meet reserve requirements.

The technology used in this project helps the system operator manage fluctuations in electric power demand, delivering frequency regulation in a less expensive, more responsive and more accurate manner than traditional methods. In addition, because the project replaces unpaid reserve from the power plant, AES Gener can receive payment for its full output capacity by selling directly to the electric grid.

Parker Hannifin
www.parker.com

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Filed Under: Electronics • electrical, Energy management + harvesting, Motion control • motor controls, Power supplies

 

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