NRStor C&I, based in Toronto, is the principal investor in this project and will serve as the project owner and operator. It is a leading Canadian energy storage project developer and owner in the commercial, industrial and institutional space. NRStor C&I operates under a build, own and operate structure with a goal of reducing customers' electricity cost via peak demand reduction and optimizing multiple cashflow streams while utilizing a fossil fuel-free technology that helps customers reduce their carbon footprint.
The battery energy storage system (BESS) will have a 2.0 MW output capacity and a lithium ion battery storage system with a duration of at least 2 hours (4.0 MWh) and utilize Leclanché's energy management and fleet management software systems for control and optimization of the asset performance. Leclanche also has preliminary agreements for two other industrial locations with NRStor that will also utilize this standardized product and Leclanchein-house design in its own specific configurations.
"These first C&I storage systems which Leclanchewill install in North America represent a further expansion of our stationary business and they represent an important, growing segment of our energy storage offerings in the region," said Anil Srivastava, CEO, Leclanché. "We are very pleased to have NRStor as our partner in this first project as one of Canada's leading energy storage development companies implementing behind the meter solutions for the country's commercial and industrial segments."
The goal of the behind the meter (BTM) energy storage system is to significantly reduce a customer's energy demand during peak periods when energy and demand charges are very high while also providing ancillary services to the grid and allowing customers to optimize the usage of onsite emission-free renewable energy. Leclanché's C&I energy storage systems are also designed to integrate multiple on-site electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to meet the rapid expansion of fast charge electric vehicles.
In addition to the C&I energy storage project announced today, Leclanchehas several major storage initiatives underway in both Canada and the U.S. The company is nearing completion of an advanced battery storage project in Ontario, Canada, known as the Basin Project. The high-quality project, built and owned by Leclancheand development partner Deltro Energy, is the first utility-scale energy storage facility designed to balance the Ontario power grid, with a total investment of approximately USD $25 million.
Leclanchehas installed other C&I energy storage systems in Europe and Asia and will present a fully-integrated C&I product line in the second quarter of 2018 for both large- and mid-scale customers which provides a combination of smart standardized in-house design and flexibility for multiple battery technologies and application differences. With these products, Leclanchewill also integrate innovative EV fast-charging technology as it foresees the convergence of electrification in the transportation sector and advanced distributed power applications.
In July 2017, Leclancheannounced an agreement between Toronto-based eCAMION to develop and install a network of 34 fast-charging stations along the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). The project, designed to encourage the adoption of EVs in Canada, entails an investment of CAD $17.3 million (USD $13.6 million) and is being partially funded by a CAD $8.0 million (USD $6.2 million) repayable contribution from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) under the Canadian Energy Innovation Program.
In addition, Leclancheis currently serving as the turn-key engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor and battery energy storage system supplier for the Marengo project in the PJM Market in the United States. This is a 20 MW / 20 MWh grid-scale energy storage project which is among the largest, fully-commercial battery storage projects in North America. The Chicago-area project is being developed for the PJM Interconnection, the regional independent system operator of the transmission grid.
