RWE has said its 30MW Texas Waves II battery storage project (pictured) with a 1-hour lithium-ion battery is expected to be online by the end of 2022.
The project, co-located at the existing Pyron Wind Farm in Scurry County, Texas, recently achieved a major equipment milestone installing all inverters on site, with no lost time injuries and two weeks ahead of schedule.
The project will provide ancillary services to the ERCOT grid as well as participate in the energy market.
In addition, Texas Waves II has the potential to reduce the cost of energy to consumers by storing energy when it is readily available from renewable resources and discharging when energy would otherwise have to be provided from more expensive fossil fuel generation.
Texas Waves II is the next phase of a series of energy storage projects, where RWE is able to add a storage facility where it makes the most sense in the existing RWE wind fleet.
Texas Waves I, consisting of two 9.9MW short duration energy storage projects, at the existing RWE Pyron and Inadale wind farms in West Texas, came online in 2018.
By its online date, the project will be RWE’s largest AC-coupled battery in the Americas to date.
RWE is now significantly increasing its standalone and co-located storage project pipeline, with more and larger projects upcoming in the US.
The US accounts for more than one third of the RWE Group’s renewables capacity playing a key role in RWE’s strategy to grow its renewables business and to become carbon neutral by 2040.
RWE’s very experienced US team is driving our expansion plans not only in onshore wind, solar PV and storage, but also in offshore wind, to contribute to RWE’s ambitious goal of 50GW net installed capacity in 2030.
RWE constructs, owns and operates some of the highest performing wind, solar and energy storage projects in the US.
As a leading renewable energy player, the company has more than 30 projects in operation in the US, totalling an installed generation capacity of more than 5000MW (4288MW pro rata) to date with more to come.
The company, together with its joint venture partner National Grid Ventures, secured area OCS-A 0539 in the New York Bight offshore lease auction in the US with a potential to host 3GW of capacity, enough to power 1.1 million US homes.
In addition, RWE has entered a joint venture, New England Aqua Ventus, focused on floating offshore wind in the state of Maine.
RWE Renewables Americas chief executive Silvia Ortín said: “Battery storage solutions like Texas Waves II, with its responsive reserve capability, are a proven proposition for storing energy and improving grid reliability.
“These types of projects will become increasingly important as renewables form a bigger part of the energy mix as we expand our operating portfolio in the U.S., one of our focus markets.”