Toshiba and NRG Energy have collaborated to deploy a new battery storage system located near a wind farm in Howard County, Texas, and integrated into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid.
The Elbow Creek Energy Storage project is a lithium-ion-based Toshiba battery system capable of storing and delivering up to 2 MW of electrical power. The system, situated near NRG’s and NRG Yield’s Elbow Creek Wind Farm, is designed for applications that enhance the stability of the electric grid.
According to the partners, the project is expected to demonstrate the benefits of siting energy storage near the growing hub of wind energy in west Texas. The battery system aims to help correct short-term grid imbalances by providing high-speed frequency regulation services. It also has the ability to move blocks of generation from the hours when wind generation is high to the hours when load support is needed the most.
The system uses energy storage technologies designed by Toshiba and centered on the SCiBTM Rechargeable Battery. The system was manufactured at Toshiba’s 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Houston. ERCOT recently concluded final certification testing on the battery system, which was funded in part by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as part of its Texas Emissions Reduction Plan.
“We believe energy storage is a fast-growing opportunity that will have an increasingly important role in the energy grid of the future,” John Chillemi, executive vice president of development at NRG Energy. “Elbow Creek is a great step towards that future, and NRG will continue to seek more opportunities like it in Texas and other markets in the U.S.”
