ABB will provide an innovative microgrid that’s designed to test scalability and improve power stability for around 300,000 people in Anchorage, Alaska. The small-scale project will combine battery and flywheel-based storage, and was initiated by Chugach Electric Association.
ABB’s PowerStore is a compact and versatile flywheel-based grid stabilizing generator. Its main purpose is to stabilize power systems against fluctuations in frequency and voltage.
The new project aims to identify technologies that will enable the integration of more renewables. This will include wind power from a 17-MW wind farm on Fire Island, located about four kilometers off the coast of Anchorage, which will work in concert with the innovative storage solution.
PowerStore is ABB’s modular and containerized microgrid system that blends the complementary capabilities of batteries and flywheel storage. The flywheel will facilitate the integration of fluctuating wind power and the battery will be used for long-term storage. The battery has a capacity of 500 kilowatt-hours with a maximum performance of 2 MW.
“We are delighted to partner with a visionary utility like Chugach Electric to build this microgrid, which incorporates a hybrid storage solution to enhance reliability of power supply,” said Massimo Danieli, Managing Director of ABB’s Grid Automation business unit, a part of the company’s Power Grids division.
“Integration of renewables is a key element of the energy revolution and a major focus area of our Next Level strategy,” Danieli added.
ABB’s advanced Microgrid Plus control system will monitor the hybrid storage solution and ensure proper load sharing between the two storage mediums. It is also equipped for remote service and maintenance.
“This innovative solution shows how energy storage technology can boost renewable energy penetration in Alaska and have far reaching implications for new renewable projects on the Railbelt as well as in smaller Alaskan communities,” said Paul Risse, Senior VP, Power Supply at Chugach Electric.
Chugach Electric Association is a leading electric utility, headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, and home to half the people in the largest, most sparsely populated state in the U.S.
Filed Under: Energy storage, News, O&M
