Xcel Energy has announced a partnership to install a 1 MW system to collect operational data on the integration of energy storage and solar energy systems at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC).

SolarTAC is a private facility in Aurora, Colorado, that serves as a solar industry test bed to validate and demonstrate a variety of solar technologies. Xtreme Power will provide its Dynamic Power Resource, which will perform a number of energy storage and grid asset functions, including output smoothing, time shifting and forecast error mitigation for solar energy generated at the site.

The project aims to display the real-world results of integrating storage systems with solar installations, to more efficiently incorporate energy output from renewable sources onto the power grid. Results will be made public to reflect the system’s performance over the course of three years.

“We hope that this demonstration will prove to be a pivotal point for PV solar energy combined with energy storage, and in turn underscore for utilities and other electricity providers that viable energy storage systems can become a commercial reality,” said Frank Novachek, Xcel Energy director for business planning.

The DPR will be operational at the site by the end of 2010.