Glendale Water & Power (GWP) successfully installed a new 2 megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) next to the newly upgraded Grandview Substation. The BESS can now instantaneously respond to shifts in systemic load, providing GWP with an unprecedented capacity to regulate its transmission. This system is now one of the fastest responding storage systems for any municipal utility in Southern California. Beyond renewable integration, the BESS may serve as an emergency source of energy to start up other units, mitigating the impact of potential unplanned disruptions in service. It will also reduce costs by delaying the need for infrastructure upgrades.
This BESS is a small scale system that GWP will use to gain experience in the use of battery storage and eventually to use that experience to develop and incorporate a larger scale battery component into its energy system. GWP will utilize and evaluate the BESS as it is integrated into the daily system and from there to expand the operation to include additional and larger battery storage projects as a key component of its resource portfolio. The full scale BESS will support the integration of renewable resources by mitigating the intermittent energy supplied by renewable resources such as photovoltaic and wind.
"Embracing innovative technologies puts GWP in the forefront of municipal utilities that are seeking to improve electric reliability," stated Steve Zurn, General Manager of Glendale Water & Power. The BESS can provide the backup power to start GWP's power plant generators in case of a major system wide outage to allow power to be restored to City's customers quicker.
The project was constructed by BETA Engineering with batteries supplied by SAFT America and the entire project was facilitated by Skylar Resources. For more information visit www.GlendaleWaterAndPower.com
Glendale Water & Power is the City of Glendale's utility. Glendale Water & Power generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to 88,100 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Glendale, California. The city-owned utility also provides water to 33,744 customers. www.GlendaleWaterAndPower.com Twitter: @COGwaterpower Facebook: /Glendalewaterandpower.
Skylar Resources L.P. Based in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Skylar Resources is an energy-marketing and consulting company focused on medium to long-term structured energy transactions. The firm's deep experience in energy markets allows it to serve clients by providing them with unique, customized solutions which are often difficult to find in the marketplace. Skylar is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brisa Max Holdings VI, LLC.
Beta Engineering provides engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for high voltage substations and transmission lines. Since 1975 Beta has demonstrated expertise in the design and construction of high voltage power systems across the U.S. www.betaengineering.com
