EPS Installs Green Microgrid for ENEL…Can U.S. Cities Go All Green?…Stem in Austin

Paris-based EPS installs green microgrid for Enel

Electro Power Systems (EPS) has completed a plug and play green microgrid for Italian utility Enel at a construction site in Chile.

Powered by solar and two forms of storage, the microgrid requires no diesel energy backup, making it emissions free, according to the Paris-based microgrid developer.

EPS installed the green microgrid to help power a camp set up for 600 workers building a geothermal plant for Enel Green Power in Ollagüe, which is in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

The grid-connected microgrid uses 125 kW of solar, backed by a 450 kWh of hydrogen and a 132 kWh of lithium storage. By integrating hydrogen and lithium storage, along with EPS controls and software, the system overcomes the intermittency of solar and provides stable power 24/7 with no diesel backup, according to EPS.

As a result, EPS says, the microgrid is as reliable as the national grid.

The project will prevent the release of 36 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year on a total energy consumption of 132 MWh per year, said the company.

EPS describes its microgrid technology as ‘plug-and-play’ because components can be removed, re-assembled and installed at a new location.

Announcement of the project comes as EPS embarks on an aggressive campaign to install at least 50 MW of microgrids per year in emerging countries and at least 60 MW per year in developed countries beginning in 2020.

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More green microgrid projects on the horizon thanks to mayors?

The U.S. Conference of Mayors will be asked to approve a landmark resolution to set a goal 100 percent renewable energy in all cities nationwide.

The mayors are expected to take up the resolution at their annual meeting June 23-June 26 in Miami Beach, Florida.

“It’s up to us as leaders to creatively implement clean energy solutions for our cities across the nation. It’s not merely an option now; it’s imperative,” said Steve Benjamin, mayor of Columbia, South Carolina and the U.S. Conference of Mayors vice president. Benjamin is one of the sponsors of the resolution.

If approved, the measure would represent one of the strongest energy policies adopted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, according to the Sierra Club. About 30 cities, including Columbia, already have committed to 100 percent renewables.

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Stem to aggregate Austin Energy commercial customers

Energy storage aggregator Stem is creating a fleet of customer-sited energy storage systems for utility Austin Energy.

The energy storage options will be offered to commercial customers as a way to reduce their energy costs. At the same time, the aggregated energy storage will provide a reliable grid resource for the utility.

The project is one phase of a larger Austin Energy grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy Storage and Solar Photovoltaics (SHINES) program. The program’s goal is to reduce the cost of electricity from combined solar and storage projects to below 14 cents/kWh.

This is the eighth utility contract for California-based Stem.

“We think all of Texas will be watching to see how aggregated energy storage can cost-effectively deliver multiple values to customers, utilities, and grid operators alike.” John Carrington, CEO of Stem.

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