Duke Energy is in the process of updating its 36 MW energy storage and power management system located at the company's 153 MW Notrees Windpower Project in West Texas.
According to Duke Energy, the energy storage system has been operating with lead acid batteries since 2012. Over the course of 2016, these batteries will be gradually replaced with lithium-ion technology.
The company is working with Younicos and Samsung SDI on the upgrades.
Samsung SDI, as primary engineering, procurement and construction manager, will provide its lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and associated battery management system.
Younicos will provide its energy storage management system (ESMS), which will work together with the Samsung SDI software and batteries. The Younicos ESMS interprets the signal from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and enables the battery project to store or dispatch energy as needed – all while maintaining the energy storage system in an optimal performance state.
Younicos is also providing system design, engineering, software integration and testing, as well as post-implementation engineering services.
‘The Notrees Energy Storage Project has proven to be a valuable asset, achieving the objectives of our partnership with ERCOT and the Department of Energy,’ says Greg Wolf, president of Duke Energy's commercial portfolio. ‘Because battery technology is rapidly evolving, we have an opportunity to upgrade the facility to better match the function that has become most valuable in the Texas market – fast response frequency regulation.’
Duke Energy, the largest U.S. electric utility, currently owns nearly 15% of the grid-connected, battery-based energy storage capacity in the U.S., according to independent research firm IHS Energy.
