US company Duke Energy has completed three battery energy storage projects in Gilchrist, Gulf and Highlands counties in Florida totalling almost 34MW.
They include a nearly 18MW lithium battery plant located at the company’s 45MWLake Placid solar farm in Highlands County.
The addition of battery storage to the utility-scale solar plant is the first of its kind for Duke Energy Florida, allowing solar energy to be dispatchable by the company’s grid operators, which improves overall plant efficiency.
An 11MW battery came online at Trenton west of Gainesville in Gilchrist County, as well as the 5.5MW Cape San Blas facility located southeast of Panama City in Gulf County.
In 2022, Duke Energy will have six battery sites in operation in Florida totalling 50MW of energy storage.
Duke Energy Florida state president Melissa Seixas said: “Duke Energy Florida is committed to a clean energy future for our customers and communities.
“With each new battery site, Duke Energy takes another important step in expanding new storage technologies in Florida while maximizing benefits to our customers and the grid.”