Saft had been awarded a contract to provide a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery energy storage system (BESS) to stabilise the electrical grid on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.
The French technology will provide Kauai Island Utility Co-operative (KIUC) with a 6 MW/4.63 MWh BESS consisting of 8 Intensium Max 20 M containers and two containers housing an ABB 6MW PCS. The deal contract forms part of a project to build a 12 MW solar energy park in Kauai.
KIUC is building the new $50 million solar energy park in partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Homestead Community Development Corp. The project is part of the utility’s efforts to diversify its power generation portfolio and increase the level of renewable energy it uses.
Saft’s BESS will provide stability and mitigate grid issues caused by intermittent fluctuations from renewable energy plants. The system will also regulate the distribution bus voltage, serve as spinning reserve and provide frequency support during the loss of generation by pooling and integrating with other distributed KIUC BESS sources.
"With other BESS contracts in the works, this agreement is indicative of the expanding renewables market relying on Li-ion energy storage within island nations," said Blake Frye, vice president of Sales and Energy Storage at Saft.
