Utility-scale iron-flow battery manufacturer ESS has completed its energy storage portion of a microgrid project at an industrial recycling plant in Pennsylvania.
TerraSol Energies developed the microgrid which will reduce peak electricity demand and provide back-up power at the Sycamore International recycling facility in West Grove. The microgrid includes a 115-kW solar power array with the ESS Energy Warehouse system and CE+T inverters.
“Through collaboration with TerraSol, we identified ESS’ sustainable, American made energy storage technology as the best solution on the market to achieve our climate and business operations goals,” Steve Figgatt, Sycamore International CEO, said during the company’s ribbon-cutting event which included local community leaders. “This solar and energy storage microgrid delivers backup power when needed to keep our facility fully operational, has a very reasonable return on the capital investment through both electricity production and peak load shaving, and enables our facility to operate comfortably with a net zero carbon footprint.”
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The ESS iron-flow batteries offer longer duration energy storage capacity than the lithium-ion components comprising much of current utility-scale battery storage. Earlier this year, Pacific Northwest utility Portland General Electric selected ESS to provide 3-MWh of iron-flow battery capacity in a pilot project to demonstrate alternatives to lithium-ion.
Last year, San Diego Gas & Electric contracted U.S.-based ESS and its iron flow batteries to join with the solar arrays in the microgrid being built in the Cameron Corners community. The Cameron Corners Microgrid is part of SDG&E’s 2020 Wildfire Mitigation Program.
Iron flow battery technology reportedly can discharge as 10 hours at a time, giving them longer duration than lithium-ion, for instance. They are considered non-flammable with the electrolyte fluid stored in external storage tanks.
Sycamore International procures and recycles large volumes of used technology assets including laptops or larger data equipment.
Some energy industry forecasts anticipate the demand and revenue in the micogrid sector could double in the next five years. A report by Mordor Intelligence predicts that microgrid revenue could reach $25 billion by 2027.
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(Rod Walton, senior editor for EnergyTech, is a 14-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper and trade journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]).