Representatives from the, Coachella Energy Storage Partners, electric industry leaders and local and state officials gathered near the IID energy generating station today, cutting the ribbon to mark the effective start of the new storage system. The 30-megawatt, 20-megawatt-hour lithium-ion battery storage system will increase reliability across the IID grid by providing the ability to balance power while integrating renewable energy resources into the local grid as well as provide spinning reserve and “black start” power restoration capabilities.
IID’s battery system storage project is considered to be one of the largest of its kind in the western United States, and has drawn attention from national energy leaders, some of whom were on hand at the launch ceremony to tour the new facility.
“With the increase of renewable energy and distributed generation in our electric system, the new battery energy storage system will help smooth variable generation and increase system-wide reliability” said IID Board of Directors President Norma Sierra Galindo. “The system will provide a much faster, environmentally friendly alternative than traditional generation.”
Ziad Alaywan P.E., President and CEO of ZGlobal Inc., added that the storage system is truly a game-changer for the energy industry and is a key component in the evolution of the electrical grid in the 21st century.
Construction of IID’s battery energy storage system began late last summer. As the project neared completion, the system has been tested and is ready to operate at full capacity, if needed. The battery energy storage system has been created to mitigate stability and power quality issues as renewable energy resources are integrated into the IID grid, allowing the district to further diversify its energy portfolio.
The project adds reliability to the IID grid, allowing the district to “black start” units at its El Centro generation station. The system is also environmentally friendly, able to smooth power supplies while acting as a spinning reserve – assignments that had typically required expensive fossil fuel generation.
IID expects its customers to benefit from reduced operating costs the first year and throughout the lifetime of the project, providing significant cost savings to ratepayers.
Partner General Electric has provided Coachella Energy Storage Partners with an integrated storage solution. This is one of GE’s largest energy storage projects to date and one of few of its lithium-ion storage projects. IID’s battery energy storage system will use environmentally-safe lithium ion batteries, manufactured by Samsung SDI America.
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