PG&E Keeps Adding Electrons To Energy Storage Plans
California utilities are ahead of much of the world in the transition to clean technology. They have a lot more rooftop solar power on the grid than many places, and they’re led by progressive voters and politicians. There is no waffling on battery energy storage for these big dogs at this point. They’re all in.
They’re also past the point of small pilot projects or slow-walking it. Stationary energy storage is a core part of their future, and they are making orders accordingly. In that vein, last week, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) requested that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approve 5 new energy storage projects totaling 423 megawatts (MW) in power capacity. Every one of them is a lithium-ion battery storage proposal.
The energy storage projects could be co-located with solar energy or geothermal energy, or sited alone. Each storage project will have a 4 hour discharge duration.
Here are more details on the projects directly from PG&E:
Diablo Energy Storage, LLC – The Diablo Energy Storage Project is comprised of three separate 15-year agreements totaling 150 MW. The three projects will be stand-alone lithium ion battery energy storage resources located in Contra Costa County. This project is an expansion of a 50 MW energy storage project under contract to PG&E in Contra Costa County, which is currently in development
