RWE has connected a 137MW battery energy storage system (BESS) to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).
The project, named Fifth Standard, includes a 150MW solar project that is expected to be completed in August.
The battery, located in Fresno County, California, is the company’s largest to date.
“Projects like Fifth Standard, with its co-located battery storage system, will become increasingly important to help ensure that as renewables form a bigger part of the energy mix, the electricity produced can be used when it is needed most,” said Mark Noyes, CEO of RWE Clean Energy.
“In our case, future growth is backed by project development pipeline comprising more than 24 gigawatts in onshore wind, solar and battery storage, one of the largest in the US.”
The Fifth Standard solar farm is located approximately 45 miles south-west of Fresno and will consist of 369,334 photovoltaic panels mounted on a racking system with solar trackers, designed to follow the sun’s path and increase energy output.
Excess energy not sent to the grid will be stored in the 137MW BESS, which has up to 548 megawatt hours (MWh) of capacity and can discharge 137MW into the grid over a four-hour period.