Global solar power producer Sonnedix has announced its first grid-scale energy storage project backed by Aquion Energy’s 1.25MWh saltwater hybrid-ion (AHI) batteries.
The plant, in Salinas, Puerto Rico, will provide 100% of the overnight operational energy requirements for the 16MW Horizon Energy solar power plant, the first in a series of projects that Sonnedix has planned to demonstrate the viability of base-load and on-demand solar technologies.
Aquion’s batteries contain an electrolyte based on a sodium sulfate solution that has a low fire risk and maintains the same storage capacity despite temperature fluctuations.
“This project is a great example of large-scale base-load solar shifting using energy storage,” said Aquion Energy CEO Scott Pearson. “Our batteries are optimized for long duration charge and discharge cycles, and base-load solar shifting is an ideal application for our technology.”
In August 2015 the AHI batteries were installed in Hawaii, where a 1 MWh battery supported by a 176 kW solar array delivers base-load power for the Bajkken Hale residential estate, which operates entirely off grid.
The batteries were installed by Aloha State solar installer Renewable Energy Systems and US-based Tigo Energy.
Battery-backed energy storage systems are ideal for communities in the island nation of Puerto Rico, where Saft has announced it will supply lithium-ion technology for a 10MW photovoltaic facility. Read more here
