Credit: DOE
Solar Grid Storage has won $968,120 from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative Incubator program to show the value of ‘solar + storage’ on the grid and accelerate its adoption.
Solar Grid Storage will develop a Solar Storage Operations Center (SSOC) to address the unique needs of managing grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) + storage assets.
The SSOC will make it possible to bring together multiple storage sites and enhance grid stability with every new PV + storage resource installed – all while reducing deployment costs, the company said.
The company hopes to use the SSOC to alleviate concerns by energy planners about integrating high levels of solar onto the grid. It will do so by demonstrating use of cost-effective control of residential, commercial, and utility-scale PV + storage systems.
“We’re focused on taking the solar industry to the next level, which requires cost-effective addition of energy storage,”said Dan Dobbs, Solar Grid Storage’s chief financial officer. “With the award, we will be able to aggregate various-sized storage systems into larger virtual-energy assets, making the assets much more valuable for grid operators who call on them to balance power on the grid.”
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With the SSOC, Solar Grid Storage will group residential PV + storage systems with its commercial and utility-scale systems. This will allow residential systems to participate in ancillary service markets. The systems will earn new revenue, making them more cost-effective.
The company’s offering and business model incorporates batteries into commercial PV installations. The added batteries allow the PV systems to work during power outages – something existing PV systems cannot do.
“We appreciate the administration’s focus on strengthening and ensuring our nation’s electricity supply, especially as we witness an increase in extreme weather events,” added Solar Grid Storage CEO Tom Leyden. “Providing reliable backup electricity during power interruptions is crucial to emergency operations at hospitals, schools, first-responder facilities, and shelters. PV + storage systems will provide emergency power when needed, and ongoing resiliency to help operators maintain balance on the grid.”
The company’s award was one of several that Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced earlier this month at Solar Power International 2014 in Las Vegas.
