Phil Walker

Standalone battery storage systems are providing the grid-forming types of ancillary services that conventional resources have historically performed—but faster and without emissions or need of water.      Since December, our Kapolei Energy Storage (KES) facility in Hawaii has been operating to support the HECO grid in this way. Here are two examples.      On February 9, 2024, the Oahu grid needed additional support. A turbine generator had tripped around 11 a.m., causing a sag in frequency to nearly 59.4 Hz, a very low level that can quickly lead to increasing grid failure if unaddressed. Hawaiian Electric dispatched KES as a backup. KES responded within 250 milliseconds—a blink of an eye—with 50 MW of power, delivering a grid-forming Fast Frequency Response signal for a half hour and bringing frequency safely back up above 60 Hz.      In another instance, around 1 a.m. on July 31, a 208 MW power plant went offline on Oahu, dropping the grid frequency again to approximately 59.4 Hz. As directed by Hawaiian Electric, KES responded within milliseconds with the Fast Frequency Response signal. Before sunrise, KES injected another 200 MWh of energy into the grid until solar generation came online. Later in the evening, KES responded again, providing over 300 MWh for four hours after the sun set and solar generation dropped. With the help of KES, the utility was able to avoid rolling blackouts.      As Hawaiian Electric recently wrote, “New technologies are critical to a secure system. We must remain flexible and adaptable as new technologies develop, particularly those that use less land and are not weather dependent...Transient stability studies in millisecond timescales are the new gold standard in high-renewable systems, and are an important part of long-term grid planning. New grid-forming capability can assist in stabilizing the system in place of conventional fossil fuel generation that traditionally provided physical rotating mass of inertia.”    We’re proud that KES, using Tesla Energy Megapack systems, is the world’s first example of standalone batteries performing this grid-forming service at scale. Hawaii has much to teach the U.S. mainland, and the world, about how to decarbonize while maintaining grid reliability. Read more in Hawaiian Electric's blog post, quoted above: https://lnkd.in/eg5ac2nw. #batterystorage #energystorage

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After the largest geomagnetic disturbances in over 20 years, NERC is taking a deeper look at best resiliency practices amidst a spike in solar activity. Discover the steps that power stakeholders are taking to address solar disturbances and what this means to you: https://okt.to/tib3PW #Geomagnetic #SolarStorm #NERC #ExtremeWeather

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Clearway’s first battery retrofit to a solar project is officially online in California! 🎉 👷‍♂️ 🔋Rosamond Central Battery Energy Storage System (or BESS, for short) will begin playing an important role in enhancing grid reliability under a long-term resource adequacy contract with Southern California Edison (SCE).   Rosamond Central BESS represents a $400 million investment in Kern County. It is also one of the first battery energy storage projects financed under the Inflation Reduction Act’s energy community program, which directs financial support to communities transitioning away from conventional fuels. Over 50 union craftworkers contributed to construction, with more than 115,000 hours of injury-free labor.   Rosamond Central BESS is the latest addition to Clearway’s nearly 850 MW battery energy storage portfolio. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gR_RGR7E

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🌡️ Rising temperatures are likely to stress power grids this summer according to North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)'s 2024 Summer Reliability Assessment. The report highlights seven areas in North America at risk for having insufficient energy supply in above-normal conditions, including the Midwest, Texas and California. See the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ezhxU69V Extreme weather caused by climate change is just one of several reasons why the world needs to decarbonize power generation. But, good news: NET Power is uniquely suited to generate clean electricity that’s reliable and affordable, too. Learn how we do it: https://lnkd.in/dEK259f

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We need these initiatives in India soon : In 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission issued a mid-term reliability (MTR) mandate requiring utilities to procure 1,000 MW of non-weather-dependent, non-battery, zero-emission energy to increase the reliability of the state’s electric grid. This decision catalyzed demand for geothermal, which provides firm, carbon-free power, filling gaps left by weather-dependent renewables like solar and wind. https://lnkd.in/dTkRDs2P

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