A 36-MW storage system will soon be the world’s largest power-storage device linked to a wind farm. The $44 million battery and controls will go into operation Q3-2012, says North Carolina-based Duke Energy Corp. Xtreme Power manufactures dry-cell batteries for use with the variable delivery from wind farms and solar projects.
The system will store power generated when demand is low and return it to the grid when demand is greatest. This will make the 153-MW Notrees wind farm in West Texas a more reliable source of energy, according to president of Duke Energy Renewables Greg Wolf. He added that storage will help later company wind projects and solar projects, interact with the grid, and manage potential negatives from variable wind or a peak-solar resource.
Several systems, similar to this 1 MW unit, will provide 36 MW of power storage for the West Texas Notrees wind farm.
The Notrees project will be the largest storage system in use with a wind project, although more are in the pipeline. “We have a few projects this size awaiting announcement later this year or and next,” says Xtreme Power president Carlos Coe. “These are related to either renewable integration on a large-scale or renewable integration under challenging transmission and distribution circumstances.”
WPE
Filed Under: Energy storage
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