AES Energy Storage is a subsidiary of US-based power company AES. The initial unit, installed at AES’s southern California power plant, is capable of delivering 2MW of power at close to 90% efficiency.
The hybrid ancillary power units (H-APUs) are designed to create another way for AES’s existing facilities to meet the power industry’s need for capacity, by supplying power plant reserve requirements and other ancillary services which enable the increasing use of renewable energy sources.
The H-APU will absorb energy from the grid during times when the frequency or voltage is too high and inject that energy back to the grid when it is too low. The H-APU is also designed to provide backup services by storing energy until it is needed by the grid in the event of a power plant or other asset failure.
Dave Vieau, CEO of A123 Systems, said: We believe A123’s H-APU product line addresses the demanding performance requirements of grid stabilization and offers an innovative solution for the utility industry. When fully deployed in 2009, we believe this will be the largest fleet of battery storage systems in operation on the electric grid.
