BATTERIES STORING WIND WORKS

Xcel Energy Releases Promising Results from Wind-to-Battery Project
August 3, 2010 (Business Wire via MarketWatch)

"…[P]reliminary results from [Xcel Energy’s] wind-to-battery storage project in Minnesota…[show] the technology works.

"…In October 2008, Xcel Energy began testing a one-megawatt battery-storage technology to demonstrate its ability to store wind energy and move it to the electricity grid when needed. It is first use of the technology in the United States for direct wind energy storage…"

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"The preliminary test results indicate that the battery has the ability to…[1] Effectively shift wind energy from off-peak to on-peak availability…[2] Reduce the need to compensate for the variability and limited predictability of wind generation resources…[3] Support the transmission grid system by providing voltage support, which contributes to system reliability…[4] Support regional electricity market by responding to real-time imbalances between generation and load

"Results also indicate that this technology may be applicable for solar energy…Testing will continue to determine the technology's ability to facilitate integration of larger penetrations of wind energy on the grid. Phase II of the study will also assess the potential value of the various battery system functions and determine the potential cost effectiveness of the technology. A final report is expected in summer 2011."

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"The project is being conducted in Luverne, Minn., about 30 miles east of Sioux Falls, S.D. The battery installation is connected to a nearby 11-megawatt wind farm owned by Minwind Energy, LLC…[T]he 20 50-kilowatt battery modules are roughly the size of two semi trailers and weigh approximately 80 tons. They are able to store about 7.2 megawatt-hours of electricity, with a charge/discharge capacity of one megawatt. Fully charged, the battery could power 500 homes for more than 7 hours.

"Xcel Energy purchased the battery from NGK Insulators Ltd. The sodium-sulfur battery is commercially available and versions of this technology are in use elsewhere in the U.S. and other parts of the world, but this is the first U.S. application of the battery as a direct wind energy storage device…[Other] partners in the project…[include] S&C Electric, the University of Minnesota, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Great Plains Institute and Minwind Energy, LLC, and Gridpoint…The project received a $1 million grant from Xcel Energy's Renewable Development Fund…"