A Hydro-Québec subsidiary specializing in battery energy storage systems this month put into operation its first project in a long series in the United States.
Energy storage Evlo last week inaugurated a 3 MW / 12 MWh facility in Troy, Vermont. The investment is estimated at approximately $5 million.
A battery energy storage system (BESS) aims to store energy during periods of high production for later use during peak consumption.
In the case of the Troy project, this type of equipment will also help avoid wasting energy, according to Evlo’s President and CEO, Sonia St-Arnaud.
“We saw limited capacity on the transmission lines. Sometimes there was a lot of renewable energy, but it couldn’t be transported on the electricity grid because it was saturated. So the renewable energy was lost,” she explained in an interview.
Thanks to this system, energy not consumed by local customers can also be redistributed outside the region, adds M.me St-Arnaud.
Evlo has signed a 20-year contract with Vermont’s electric utilities. As part of the agreement, the Quebec company is committed to monitoring and maintaining the facility.
The Vermont site consists of 16 units that look like containers. These contain battery modules, among other things. Also outside are converters so that the energy can be sent to the electrical grid.
This project on American soil represents a second international breakthrough for Evlo. In 2022, the supplier commissioned a facility in Tonnerre, France.
The Hydro-Québec subsidiary plans to develop other projects in the United States, which is one of the countries where demand for storage systems is greatest, says Mme St-Arnaud.
“There are other contracts that have been signed that will be announced shortly,” she said.
The Troy project is also intended to serve as a showcase for the American market and demonstrate the benefits of battery energy storage. In this sense, data will be provided to the US Department of Energy and Sandia National Laboratories.
“These are two very credible organizations in the United States that, at the level of electrical networks, look at what is optimal and advise partners who would like storage systems,” said Mr.me St-Arnaud.
“With this project, we hope to demonstrate the critical role that battery energy storage can play in enabling us to provide more reliable and sustainable electricity to the communities we serve,” Vermont Electric Cooperative CEO Rebecca Towne said in a statement.
In total, Evlo has around twenty projects completed or in development, mainly in Canada. The supplier also wishes to continue conquering the European market.