S&C Electric has completed one of the largest energy storage systems in Ohio, a 7-MW project for the Village of Minster, which will tap into four unique revenue streams to offset costs and earn a return on investment.
Built in conjunction with Half Moon Ventures (HMV) and the local municipal utility, the project demonstrates the favorable economics electric customers can accrue with sophisticated use of energy storage.
HMV will be able to sell into the PJM Interconnection’s frequency regulation market, which helps to provide grid reliability for more than 60 million customers. Meanwhile, the Village of Minster will use the energy storage system to defer $350,000 of transmission & distribution costs, improve power quality and shave peak demand.
S&C served as energy storage system integrator for HMV by performing all major power system studies and complete engineering, procurements, and construction of the project. S&C will also be providing ongoing operation and maintenance services for the facility.
“Energy storage systems are so much more complex than the chemistry of batteries. If just one piece doesn’t work in concert with the rest of the system, the impacts to owner’s return on investment are huge,” said Mike Edmonds, president of S&C Electric’s U.S. business, who will speak at Microgrid Knowledge’s May 19 conference in Manhattan.
Edmonds added: “It’s essential for success, to have an integrator – who is able to implement the power electronics, controls and high voltage into a successful solution. HMV chose S&C for this project because of our expertise. We were able to move from contract to successful grid trading quickly, due to our integrated solution.”
Michael Hastings, HMV CEO said that the project proves “a very unique business model that will allow us to bring more solar and energy storage to public utilities. This revenue stacking approach assures that projects are viable and valuable for both parties.”
HMV is using S&C’s 7-MW PureWave SMS Storage Management System, providing fully integrated storage management and power conversion for 3-MWh of lithium ion-batteries. The system is tied to HMV’s adjacent 4.2-MW solar plant, allowing Minster to further reduce their peak demand charges in the middle of the day.
“This is a milestone day for our community as we mark the first time a municipal utility has combined solar power and energy storage,” said Don Harrod, village administrator, Village of Minster. “The official launch of this system assures that the Village of Minster can continue to provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity for our residents and businesses.”
The complexities of project development are shown in a time-lapse video below.
