SCE turns to 400 MWh AES storage facility, facing summer reliability concerns
Dive Brief:
AES Corporation’s Alamitos battery energy storage system, a 400 MWh standalone storage facility that came online in Southern California Edison’s (SCE) footprint last month, will play a role in bolstering grid reliability during the coming summer months, according to SCE President and CEO Kevin Payne.
The project, one of the largest battery storage systems operational in the world today, is an important contributor to achieving the 30 GW of utility-scale storage that SCE estimates will be required for California’s clean energy goals, Payne said at a virtual event Wednesday. “More immediately, this facility will also help meet capacity needs for this summer,” he added.
California regulators have been focused on ensuring grid reliability in summer 2021 after a record-breaking heatwave prompted the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to initiate rolling blackouts last August. Last week, regulators passed a decision instructing utilities to procure additional capacity — including energy storage — to prevent blackouts this year.
Source: utilitydive
