E.ON North America is building two energy storage projects, dubbed Texas Waves, at the sites of the company’s Pyron and Inadale wind farms, which are currently spinning in west Texas.
Built in partnership with Greensmith Energy, Texas Waves will consist of two 9.9 MW short-duration energy storage projects using lithium-ion batteries.
The projects are designed to provide ancillary services to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas market and respond to shifts in power demand more quickly, says E.ON.
“The battery energy storage systems will be an integral part of the wind farm facilities near Roscoe, Texas, and will be charged from the wind farm,” explains Mark Frigo, vice president of E.ON’s North American energy storage division.
Steve Trenholm, president of E.ON’s solar and energy storage division, notes that E.ON has more than 2.7 GW of operating wind capacity in Texas alone. Now, he says, Texas Waves will allow the company to “establish [itself] in the storage business in the Texas market.”
The Texas Waves projects will be the second and third grid-connected lithium-ion battery systems installed by E.ON in North America. E.ON’s first energy storage project is currently under construction southeast of Tucson, Ariz., and is co-located with a 2 MW solar array. The company expects all three projects to be online by the end of this year.
Photo: Iron Horse, E.ON’s energy storage project under construction southeast of Tucson, Ariz.
