Duke Energy is commissioning a 30kW/120kW non-lithium battery for its McAlpine microgrid test facility in North Carolina.
Eos Energy Storage is manufacturer and supplier of the Aurora 2.0 battery system for the McAlpine substation in Charlotte. The zinc battery system has been directly integrated, or DC-coupled, to a grid-connected solar array using a DC-DC converter instead of an AC-inverter to eliminate unnecessary hardware and reduce efficiency losses.
Because the Eos system does not require HVAC or fire suppression, it can be decentralized and distributed throughout the solar array, cutting upfront capital costs, according to the battery supplier.
“With $500 million of battery storage projects slated for the Carolinas over the next 10 years, Duke Energy is actively deploying the technology in our communities as a way to enhance reliability, defer system upgrades and deliver operational benefits for all customers,” said Tom Fenimore, business development manager at Duke Energy.
Eos also deploys its Aurora 2.0 battery system as a behind-the-meter solution at the University of California, San Diego. The project is funded by the California Energy Commission.
California has set goals for 60 percent renewable-fueled electricity in 11 years and 100 percent by 2045. This plan also entails 2 GW of near-term energy storage procurement.
California is no. 1 in the U.S. for solar power capacity, while North Carolina is one of the fastest growing solar markets and ranks second nationally.
“These two projects represent an important step in our journey to help accelerate clean energy while ensuring that it is competitive and reliable,” Philippe Bouchard, Eos’ senior vice president of business development, said. “With over 10 years of testing and refinement, these deployments demonstrate that our system is ready to scale in two of the fastest growing renewable energy markets in the world.”
The deployment at University of California, San Diego will demonstrate the Eos Aurora’s multi-hour discharge capability to reduce demand charges and manage retail energy consumption for commercial and industrial customers. The system provides 30kW/120kWh as a modular, AC-integrated, plug-and-play solution optimized for behind-the-meter applications.
The project also prepares Eos for delivery of a larger 10MW/40MWh utility-scale project contracted by developer Convergent Energy + Power with Pacific Gas & Electric.
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Energy Storage Breakthroughs and Micogrids are both content tracks at POWERGEN International, happening Nov. 19-21 in New Orleans.
