Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Altairnano) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Hawaii Electric Light Co. to supply a 1 MW ALTI-ESS energy-storage system for a test of wind energy integration. Under the MOU, Altairnano will provide the ALTI-ESS battery-based power management system to smooth the output of an operating wind farm with a high rate of charging and discharging of the energy storage system.
The project is designed to test the performance characteristics of the battery and to demonstrate the effectiveness of battery-storage technology to integrate wind energy into an electric grid. The test is expected to demonstrate solutions for integration of greater levels of renewable energy onto the grid, improving capacity utilization, and reducing dependency on fossil-fuel power generation while maintaining grid performance and reliability.
Hawaii Electric Light Co. plans to install the energy-storage system at the Hawi Renewable Development wind farm, located on the north end of Hawaii's Big Island. The Office of Naval Research is providing funding for the project through a grant to the University of Hawaii.
The MOU is nonbinding. A definitive agreement reflecting the terms of the memorandum is expected to be finalized by the fourth quarter of this year, with system installation anticipated for the first half of 2011.
SOURCE: Altair Nanotechnologies Inc.
