This could be the biggest sign yet that the battery revolution is here - battery energy storage system

We may see a world that energy visionaries are looking forward --
One feature is a massive merger between clean energy technologies such as wind and solar energy and large batteries that can store the power of these sources and provide them at any time.
Meet advanced micro-grid solutions, based in San Francisco, led by former director of Arnold Schwarzenegger's office and Susan Kennedy, California's Public Utilities Commissioner.
The company specializes in the creation of "hybrid buildings", office or infrastructure buildings containing large battery systems that can simultaneously reduce energy costs for users and owners, it also helps to strengthen the larger grid by using the battery at a critical moment, thus eliminating the need for grid power.
So AMS, which simultaneously sells to businesses and utilities, recently announced an agreement with SunEdisonto provide 50 MW of energy storage to Edison, California's main utility, Southern California, there is clearly a market for such services.
But in many ways, AMS's latest deal is more intriguing --
It now announces that it will supply and operate batteries for a very large California customer, the Inland Empire utility.
It is a large municipal water treatment and distribution agency serving 850,000 customers in San Bernardino County, California.
The Inland Empire is very advanced in trying to turn its operations (including multiple factories for recycling and removing salt water) to clean energy.
Including 3.
The facility has a solar capacity of 5 MW, plus 1 MW of wind and 2 MW of wind. 8-megawatt bio-
Gas fuel cell system
The agency says the latter is the largest of its kind in the world.
Incorporating large batteries into this combination will enable the mechanism to be in the so-
Joseph Grindstaff, general manager, said that known as "demand costs", is evaluated based on peak levels of electricity, by powering the battery from solar panels or other sources, then pull them down again in due course.
"The key factor is that when we reach these points on the day we have peak demand, we can use the battery to offset these peaks, grindstaff said: "The fees we charge for electricity we buy from the grid depend largely on peak demand, not just on ongoing demand. ".
The battery involved is about the same size as the parking space of the vehicle, manufactured by Tesla
The company called them "powerpack ".
The partner announced that the unit should be able to reduce peak power demand for the Inland Empire by 14%, thus saving power costs by 5 to 10%.
In this equation, AMS not only provides batteries, but also runs the system to help utilities figure out how to maximize cost savings.
According to Kennedy of AMS, what the Inland Empire is doing now
Install storage capacity to adjust and balance all different and variable renewable energy sources
It solves the growing problems that power grids and big companies will face as they increase their renewable energy.
"They are the first utilities, water treatment utilities, and I can find them anywhere that actually uses energy storage to integrate renewable energy," Kennedy said . ".
Doing so "makes the integration of renewable energy more economical, something every utility in the world has to do.
According to AMS, 3 will be provided for the entire battery installation.
5 MW of electricity, a number of how much electricity they can discharge continuously (
Megawatt is million watts).
However, it is also important how long the battery can work.
In this case, the energy rating of the system is 7 and will exceed 2 hours.
Five to eight megawatts, Kennedy said.
For infrastructure like the water authority, the deal is equally important how it helps to ensure that there is backup power in any case of a power outage, said Ravi Manghani, an analyst at GTM Research, he specializes in energy storage and battery markets.
"Due to the critical nature of the water treatment facility, efforts are being made to study how to make the facility more resilient," Manghani said . " Trading is part of this trend.
He noted that on the East Coast, there is also increasing interest in the resilience of water facilities.
The employees of Inland Empire agree that there are multiple benefits to having a battery.
In addition to reducing peak costs, they can also provide backup power when there is a power outage.
They will also help the agency fight the California drought.
This is because the agency has recovered a large amount of wastewater, and while this activity is critical in the event of a shortage of water supply, it also requires energy
This in turn requires money.
Therefore, more savings means more savings.
"It helps water supply and self in the long run
"Sufficient is applicable not only to energy but also to water, but they are very relevant," says Grindstaff . ".
In fact, Kennedy thought the project was entirely on the water. energy “nexus”—
A concept that describes the close relationship between heating, supplying and reusing water and consuming energy.
The California Energy Commission says water and energy are therefore "inseparable connections", and as the population grows, the demand for water will also increase and the demand for electricity will increase (
And greenhouse gas emissions, unless this demand is met with renewable energy).
"Transport and treatment of water, treatment and disposal of wastewater, can be used to heat and water resources accounted for about 20% of the electricity, 30% No.
According to the Commission, gas consumption related to power plants in California. ".
With that in mind, Kennedy thought we might see other hydro companies or suppliers, in particular trying to provide more power for renewable energy or for installing batteries.
The news is that battery and energy storage can be said to be a breakthrough year as a whole.
In addition to the announcement of Tesla's new range of home and larger battery products of mass concern, the overall number of installations is increasing, especially in larger or larger utilities, according to Manghani, a GTM research firm.
Earlier this year, he predicted that 2015 of users would see a record 220 MW of storage devices.
Other big projects this year include the announcement by Sun City to install 14 megawatts and 52 megawatts of batteries on Kauai island, Hawaii.
But Manghani says the unique thing about AMS is the way it pursues "These big customers who have multiple facilities and operate.
"Earlier this month, the company announced a contract with real estate developer and planner Irving to install batteries in the 24 sep building, which can not only reduce the cost of demand, it is also possible to provide 10 MW of potential demand reduction for Southern California Edison during peak hours (
According to Kennedy, about 40 to 60 MW hours.
This is enough to power 10,000 households in California, AMS said.
The company also signed a memorandum of understanding with Shell North America to install 20 MW of batteries at its California plant.
Overall, the battery business is booming, but it's also very new, and we don't know where the AMS approach will go.
But one thing is clear.
Large companies and utilities are increasingly considering storage, sometimes even adding storage, both to back up their facilities and systems and to add storage when they use themselves
Power generation in order to save yourself money.
We are increasingly entering a world where electricity is not needed in an instant --
This changed the whole game.
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