The California State University system Wednesday announced that it would be installing a group of cutting-edge energy storage facilities that will reduce energy costs and provide critical support to the electric grid.
The project, in conjunction with San Francisco-based Advanced Microgrid Solutions, will be implemented in multiple phases and represent the largest advanced electrical storage project at an educational institution in the nation. Company and CSU officials estimate that first phase of the project will reduce the CSU’s electric utility costs by more than $3.3 million and will store enough energy to power 2,000 homes.
“This exciting partnership adds to many collaborative efforts implemented by the CSU to boost efficiency and cut costs,” said CSU Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Steve Relyea. “By helping integrate more renewable energy onto the grid, this transformational system will support California’s environment and direct resources to support the academic mission of the CSU.”
In the initial phase of the project, AMS will oversee the design, installation and operation of a 1,000kW/6,000kWh energy storage system at CSU’s Long Beach campus. AMS will subsequently install two storage systems at the CSU Office of the Chancellor and the Dominguez Hills campus, for a total of 2,000kW/12,000kWh of energy storage. Additional CSU campuses will be able to enroll in the project through a standardized contract.
“The CSU is setting the standard for sustainability among higher education institutions, both statewide and across the nation,” said Susan Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of AMS. “We are proud to work with them and provide Southern California Edison with critical capacity during this time of emergency.”
The company will break ground at Cal State Long Beach this summer, and the system is expected to be completed by October. Construction at the chancellor’s office is expected to begin in early 2017 and be completed by mid- 2017.
The buildings use Tesla Powerpack commercial batteries to store energy during nonpeak hours, typically at night. During times of high demand, AMS’ analytics software shifts buildings from the electric grid to the AMS energy storage system, reducing grid congestion and easing the need to build additional plants.
—City News Service