Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative Purchases Battery Energy Storage System

Feb. 9, 2011
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative has signed a contract with Xtreme Power, Inc. to purchase a 1.5 MW utility-scale battery storage system.

Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative has signed a contract with Xtreme Power, Inc. to purchase a 1.5 MW utility-scale battery storage system. Xtreme Power’s Dynamic Power Resources (DPR) will be installed at the Koloa substation. This storage system will help mitigate the effects of a 3 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project, which will also feed into Koloa. In support of KIUC’s commitment to incorporate greater amounts of renewable energy, the organization sought solutions to effectively integrate large, intermittent generation resources into its system. The utility has determined that Xtreme Power’s utility-scale storage technology can stabilize intermittent resources, such as solar PV, and is consistent with its strategic goals and initiatives.

“KIUC is presented with a unique set of challenges in terms of grid stability,” said John Cox, senior electrical engineer and project manager at KIUC. “The advanced capabilities of Xtreme Power’s technology provide support in this capacity while promoting increased renewable energy generation on Kaua’i.” Solar PV systems are subject to output variability due to factors such as clouds passing over an installation. The addition of the battery storage system (DPR) will allow KIUC to smooth the power output from PV projects by providing real and reactive power, compensating for sudden output fluctuations in a matter of microseconds. This rapid response will enable KIUC to better control the installation’s ramp rates and maintain a predictable flow of power from the solar farm to the electrical grid. The battery storage system (DPR) will also respond to other system events, such as loss of generation and system faults, which will help KIUC analyze the effects and benefits of expanding storage in the future.

“With this project, Xtreme Power will once again demonstrate the ease of cost-effectively utilizing abundant, clean energy without a major infrastructure overhaul,” said Carlos Coe, CEO of Xtreme Power. “We commend the Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative for its progressive thinking and intelligent measures to overcome variability challenges when implementing renewables into Kaua’i’s grid.”

The project marks Xtreme Power’s first sale directly to a utility and is planned for completion in the third quarter of 2011. At that time, this will bring the total megawatts of Dynamic Power Resources installed in Hawaii to nearly 30, with projects on Kauai, Maui, Lanai and Oahu.

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