EVs and Storage News

LG Chem Batteries to Power World’s Largest ESS Project for STEAG

LG Chem will integrate six large-scale batteries in STEAG power plants. As part of the world's largest ESS (energy storage systems) project, STEAG GBS (Großbatterie-Systeme) plants belonging to the German power supplier in North-Rhine Westphalia and Rhineland Palatinate will be modernized. With 140-MW hours of power, the storage systems will deliver enough energy to supply 10,000 households per day with electricity.

Constellation and Bloom Energy to Develop 40 MW of Fuel Cell Projects

Constellation and Bloom Energy plan to develop 40 MW of Bloom Energy fuel cell projects for commercial and public sector customers in California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Under the agreement, Constellation will provide equity financing and own a majority equity interest in Bloom Energy Servers at more than 170 sites for customers, including AT&T, the City of Hartford, Conn., and Walmart among others. Constellation and Bloom Energy plan to complete the installations in phases by the end of 2016.

Duke Energy, LG Chem, Greensmith to Build Fast-Response Energy Storage System in Ohio

Duke Energy, LG Chem and Greensmith teamed up to build a battery-based energy storage system in Ohio, designed to enhance reliability and increase stability on the electric power grid. The new 2-MW storage project will assist in regulating electric grid frequency for PJM, the transmission organization that powers much of the eastern U.S. The system will be built at Duke Energy's retired W.C. Beckjord coal-fired power plant in New Richmond, Ohio, and is expected to be operational by late 2015.

Cargill, Tesla, PG&E Collaborate at Fresno Beef Plant

Cargill collaborated with Tesla and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), to install Tesla's Energy Storage product at the company's Fresno beef processing facility. In total, the Tesla batteries have a 1-MW capacity that will be charged daily from the existing PG&E electricity grid system during off-peak hours, when electricity rates are lowest. The electricity stored in the batteries will then be used when rates are the highest each day during peak use times.

Duke Energy to Build Fully Lined Coal Ash Landfills at Dan River And Sutton Plants

Duke Energy plans to submit permits to construct fully lined on-site landfills at the Dan River Steam Station in Eden, N.C., and the Sutton Plant in Wilmington, N.C. The landfills will be located on plant property and will provide a permanent storage solution for more than 6 million tons of coal ash at the two sites. The projects will also have contingency capacity for additional excavation at the sites, if needed. The proposed landfills are in addition to off-site solutions that Landfills at each site will feature multiple layers of synthetic and natural barriers.

AES Energy Storage Unveiled 260 MW of Interconnected Global Projects

AES Energy Storage unveiled a portion of its deployment roadmap for AES Advancion Energy Storage Solutions, which includes the addition of battery-based storage resources across the US, South America, and Europe. Projects in construction or late stage development are expected to deliver 260 MW of interconnected battery-based energy storage, equivalent to 520 MW of flexible power resource, 25% of which is expected to be on-line by mid-2016.

Con Edison Development Enters into Agreement to Procure GE Energy Storage System

GE will supply Con Edison Development (CED) with an 8-MWh battery energy storage system in Central Valley, CA. The new storage solution will utilize GE's Mark VIe-based plant control system, Brilliance MW Inverters, and packaged lithium ion battery modules. The system will provide two MW of power over a four-hour period, and the deal includes delivery of a complete energy storage system, with associated long-term service agreements.

FuelCell Energy Completes Sale of University Micro-grid Project to NRG Yield

FuelCell Energy reported the closing of its definitive agreement to sell a 1.4-MW fuel cell power plant project at the University of Bridgeport to NRG Energy. Concurrent with the closing, a subsidiary of NRG, NRG Yield, acquired the project; the first-ever fuel cell project placed into any yieldco. The University of Bridgeport will buy the electricity and heat produced by the fuel cell power plant under a multi-year PPA.

PG&E Proposes Major Build-Out of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) asked state regulators for permission to build an estimated 25,000 EV chargers at sites across its service area in Northern and Central California. If approved, this program would be the largest deployment of EV charging stations in the country. The chargers would be located at commercial and public locations, including multi-family dwellings, retail centers, and workplaces. PG&E proposes to own all of the infrastructure, but contract with third parties to build, install and maintain the chargers and manage customer billing.

California Roadmap Paves the Way for Energy Storage Technology

The California Independent System Operator (ISO), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) unveiled a comprehensive roadmap to assess the current market environment and regulatory policies for connecting new energy storage technology to the state's power grid. Technology to store energy is vital to optimizing the grid, increasing renewable energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.