EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) has announced that the McHenry Storage Project reached commercial operation on Dec. 20. The company says the energy storage system, located in McHenry County, Ill., added 40 MW of flexible capacity (20 MW nameplate) to the PJM Regional Transmission Organization and will participate in both the regulation and capacity markets.
According to EDF RE, this represents parent company EDF Group’s first battery storage project in North America, and sister company EDF Store and Forecast will continue to monitor the facility. Recently spun out of EDF Research and Development, EDF Store and Forecast has developed control software that utilizes forecasting tools to predict solar and wind production either in concert or stand alone with energy storage.
EDF RE acquired 100% interest in the project late in the first quarter of 2015 from Chicago-based GlidePath Power; construction commenced in June 2015. The system is interconnected at the distribution level into Commonwealth Edison Co., and EDF RE says the battery and power electronics were supplied by BYD America, consisting of 11 containerized units totaling 20 MW (22 MVA).
“Through the provision of fast-response frequency regulation services, battery-based energy storage can facilitate the cost-effective integration of intermittent, renewable energy resources into the grid and is therefore highly complementary to our core renewable generation business,” comments Ryan Pfaff, executive vice president of EDF RE.
EDF RE says it currently has over 100 MW of storage projects under development across North America.
