LOGAN – Officials of Logan City Light & Power have announced the successful completion of a 125-kilowatt, 500-kilowatt-hour battery storage system here in Logan.
The storage system is the result of a collaboration between the city’s power company and WATTMORE, a Denver-based energy storage software and service provider, according to Mark Montgomery, the director of Logan City Light & Power.
“As we increase our use of solar and wind energy,” Montgomery says, “we are excited to add energy storage to our network to increase the value of our renewable energy resources and grid reliability.”
Montgomery explains that the city’s new energy storage system is a single container of zinc hybrid batteries that store solar- and wind-generated electricity. Manufactured by Eos Energy of New Jersey, those batteries are guaranteed to be safe and non-flammable. They also do not require cooling systems, which reduces noise and operating costs.
Those EOS Energy batteries are also designed to overcome the limitation of conventional lithium-ion technology.
Those limitations include overheating, which can lead to fires or explosions. Lithium-ion batteries also require a protection circuit to prevent overcharging and to monitor cell temperature.
Three years in the making, Montgomery adds that the small-scale battery system will give Logan City Light & Power the opportunity to learn how to implement a larger-scale system.
The goal of that learning will be to support renewable energy on the city’s power grid to provide both addition power when demand is high and back-up power as needed, ensuring greater grid reliability.
Originally incorporated in 1904, LCLP currently operates hydro, natural gas and solar power generation facilities that produce more than 18 megawatts of electricity locally. The utility service also traditionally contracts with regional utilities – including the Utah Associated Municipal Power System (UAMPS) — for additional power as needed.
In the future, LCLP has plans to add an additional 10 megawatts of electricity generated by natural gas to its existing output of 12 megawatts from that source. Other long-term energy projects include adding 20 megawatts from solar power and battery storage; 8 megawatts from geo-thermal sources; and another 20 megawatts from natural gas.
The WATTMORE Energy Management System (EMS) uses machine learning to optimally charge and discharge storage batteries, giving LCL&P officials the opportunity to learn to manage critical power loads, reduce demand to save costs and improve the utilization of solar/natural gas assets
“WATTMORE is thrilled to be part of Logan’s first energy storage system,” according to Jonathan Postal, the company’s chief executive officer. “We applaud the utility for taking this important step in modernizing its grid.”
“This energy storage project will help us plan for future clean energy projects,” Montgomery predicts.
“We appreciate WATTMORE and Eos for helping us launch this important clean energy and reliability project.”