San Diego to build largest US battery-based energy-storage facility
San Diego Gas and Electric and the AES Corporation will start work on two energy-storage arrays with a combined capacity of 37.5 MW, the largest battery-based energy-storage project in the US. The facility will provide continuous power for four hours, offering a 75 MW flexible resource to the grid. It is expected the sites will be operational by the end of January 2017.

Industry News SDG&E and AES to Commence Construction on 37.5 MW Battery Storage Projects LCG, August 19, 2016--San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) and the AES Corporation yesterday announced plans to proceed with two energy storage arrays totaling 37.5 MW at sites in San Diego County, California. The announcements follow the approval by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) yesterday of the proposal by SDG&E to build the two new energy storage projects.



In May, the CPUC directed Southern California electric utilities to accelerate the installation of new energy storage options to enhance regional energy reliability and enable the addition of more intermittent renewable energy resources. The two SDG&E-owned projects are scheduled to begin construction immediately and to be operational by the end of January 2017.



SDG&E selected Advancion 4, AES' fourth generation lithium-ion, battery-based energy storage platform. The arrays are expected to provide 37.5 MW of power for four continuous hours and serve as a 75 MW flexible resource to the grid. The arrays will be installed by AES's subsidiary, AES Energy Storage, at two SDG&E substation facilities: 30 MW in Escondido and 7.5 MW in El Cajon. Once completed, the Escondido array will be the largest battery-based energy storage project in operation in the United States.



SDG&E's chief development officer stated, "These batteries are beneficial because they maintain a reliable flow of energy to customers when they need it most. We also are national leaders in supplying renewable resources, with more than 33 percent of the energy we supply to customers coming from wind and solar. These batteries will help smoothly integrate this growing supply of clean energy onto the power grid for use by our customers."



The CPUC requires SDG&E to procure a total of 165 MW of energy storage by 2020, to be operational by 2024. Print Top