Exelon Generation is the storage facility owner and operator, and RES is the project developer and constructor.
RES, a leader in the energy storage industry, will begin construction during the second quarter of 2016, with the battery storage units expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.
Three semi-trailer sized units will be housed next to a substation to allow for easy interconnection to electrical lines within the PJM grid. The entire storage unit footprint is less than one-third of an acre. Construction is expected to be completed by the fall of 2016. The monitoring, dispatch and control of the system will be handled by the RESolve energy platform, a proprietary technology developed by RES. RESolve will manage the system to maximize revenue and minimize battery degradation.
"Having constructed over 70 MW of energy storage projects with 140 MW of operational range throughout North America, RES is excited to work with Exelon to provide frequency regulation service to PJM," said Matthew Krivos, director, Energy Storage of RES. "We look forward to continuing to provide energy solutions to ensure longstanding benefits to the ever changing grid."
Battery storage facilities are an innovative, emerging technology that provide fast-response frequency regulation service to help electric grid operators manage the momentary mismatch between load and generation across the grid. The units take and return small amounts of electricity from the grid throughout the day and have the flexibility to discharge it within seconds, when needed.
"Exelon continues to invest in new technologies, such as battery storage, to further diversify our generation portfolio," said Corey Hessen, vice president, Exelon Generation Development. "Exelon’s deployment of battery storage technology provides customers and grid operators with innovative solutions to meet their technical requirements and enhance system reliability."
The Clinton battery storage project will be powered by Samsung SDI’s battery energy storage system, which uses lithium-ion batteries. Samsung SDI will provide more than 16,000 high-power batteries that are produced with top-quality and safety standards. The facility will also utilize five Parker Hannifin 2-MW power conversion systems, which use Parker’s two-phase refrigerant cooling solution. The conversion systems are self-contained and require no chilled water or external condenser, allowing for more efficient operation and longer life.
"We are proud to have our advanced battery technology selected to be part of this Exelon project," remarked Sewoong Park, head of ESS Business at Samsung SDI. "We look forward to further collaborating with RES and Exelon as they continue to expand in the energy storage market."
Exelon Generation and RES closed the transaction on Feb. 1. This is the second joint project between the companies. In January, Exelon Generation and RES announced the 198 MW Bluestem Wind Project in Beaver County, Oklahoma, with a power purchase agreement executed with Google. RES will construct the Bluestem project for Exelon Generation this year. This is RES’ 10th energy storage project in North America and first utilizing Samsung SDI batteries.
Exelon will have a total of approximately 20 MW of battery storage capacity in its portfolio upon project completion: 10 MW through the Clinton battery storage project and nearly 10 MW through Exelon’s competitive energy company, Constellation.
