MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Xcel Energy soon will begin testing a cutting-edge technology to
store wind energy in batteries. It will be the first use of the
technology in the United States for direct wind energy storage.
Integrating variable wind and solar power production with the
needs of the power grid is an ongoing issue for the utility industry.
Xcel Energy will begin testing a one-megawatt battery-storage
technology to demonstrate its ability to store wind energy and move it
to the electricity grid when needed. Fully charged, the battery could
power 500 homes for over 7 hours.
"Energy storage is key to expanding the use of renewable energy,"
said Dick Kelly, Xcel Energy Chairman, President and CEO. "This
technology has the potential to reduce the impact caused by the
variability and limited predictability of wind energy generation. As
the nation's leader in distributing wind energy, this will be very
important to both us and our customers."
Xcel Energy has signed a contract to purchase a battery from NGK
Insulators Ltd. that will be an integral part of a project. The
sodium-sulfur battery is commercially available and versions of this
technology are already being used in Japan and in a few US
applications, but this is the first U.S. application of the battery as
a direct wind energy storage device.
The 20 50-kilowatt battery modules will be roughly the size of two
semi trailers and weigh approximately 80 tons. They will be able to
store about 7.2 megawatt-hours of electricity, with a charge/discharge
capacity of one megawatt. When the wind blows, the batteries are
charged. When the wind calms down, the batteries supplement the power
flow.
The project will take place in Luverne, Minn., about 30 miles east
of Sioux Falls, S.D., with the battery installation beginning this
spring adjacent and connected to a nearby 11-megawatt wind farm owned
by Minwind Energy, LLC. S&C Electric Company will install the battery
and all associated interconnection components. The battery is expected
to go on-line in October 2008.
Partners in the project with Xcel Energy include the University of
Minnesota, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Great Plains
Institute and Minwind Energy, LLC. Xcel Energy is testing emerging
technology and energy storage devices as part of its overall Smart
Grid strategy, which modernizes and upgrades the grid to allow for
easier integration of renewable energy sources.
The project has been selected to receive a $1 million grant from
Minnesota'sRenewable Development Fund, pending Minnesota Public
Utilities Commission approval this spring.
Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) is a major U.S. electricity and natural
gas company with regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern
states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of
energy-related products and services to 3.3 million electricity
customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers through its regulated
operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis.
More information is available at www.xcelenergy.com.
Source: Xcel Energy
Contact: Xcel Energy Media Relations
612-215-5300
www.xcelenergy.com