Two 4MWh lithium-ion battery storage systems are being installed to boost electricity supply to a growing community in rural Arizona, instead of rebuilding 20 miles of power lines.
The Arizona Public Service (APS) said its installation of the AES Energy Storage Advancion batteries in Punkin Center makes it one of the first utilities in the country to use batteries in place of traditional infrastructure.
The project will start this autumn and the system is scheduled to be operational early next year. Existing lines serving the area will feed electricity to the batteries when demand is low.
APS said a review of the needs of the 600-strong community, some 90 miles northeast of Phoenix, showed adding battery storage would provide “additional benefits at a similar cost to rebuilding the lines”.
The project will be built with the capability to add energy capacity as the need arises over the next five to 10 years.
APS said it is currently using batteries to store excess solar power for use after the sun goes down. “This project is unique in that the primary function of the battery is basic grid operation,” the utility said.
APS’s director of transmission and distribution technology innovation and integration Scott Bordenkircher said: “For a community like Punkin Center, the rural location, reduced implementation costs and added technological benefits make it the perfect candidate for this technology.”
“Over the next 15 years, APS has plans to add 500MW of storage capacity,” Bordenkircher said. “We are watching as the prices come down on battery technology. Thoughtful implementation of battery storage is key to its future success.”
Earlier this year, APS installed two 2MW/2MWh lithium-ion AES battery storage systems in Phoenix to test the technology’s performance in desert temperatures.
