It seems like yesterday we were mulling over the possibility of 100 megawatts of battery storage on a single site. We were still wrestling with ways to tame impulsive nature, and longing for better batteries back then. But that future is with us now, as Texas adds another 200 megawatts of battery energy storage in a second large scale project.
200 Megawatt Storage Partner for Texas Flower Valley
Energy Story News picked up the thread when Jupiter Power turned on its 100MW/200MWh Flower Valley II resource three months before. That bold step was built on three smaller projects, totaling 50 MWh.
So taken together, and adding solar and wind, Jupiter Texas now has 450 MWh of stored energy to buffer its conventional system. Mike Geier, chief technology officer summed up the situation as follows:
“We have witnessed the strain that the Texas climate can put on the grid during unseasonably warm days. Jupiter Power’s projects like Flower Valley II and now Crossett are optimally sited. We put them where the grid needs support to enhance resiliency, both cost-effectively and reliably.”
The Roles Flower Valley II and Crossett Will Play
Flower Valley II performed ably on June 12, 2022. That was when a heatwave led to the highest-ever power demand recorded on the grid at 75GW. This time it was all smooth saving compared to the previous month, when Jupiter had to ask Texans to conserve power.
Jupiter expects its battery energy storage system (BESS) will improve reliability during the summer peak. This should reduce the need to energy trade with other sources in congested urban nodes.
However, BESS will also provide emergency support during significant generation losses on the system according to Energy Storage News. Those 10-minute energy deployments will materialize within 15 cycles after the frequency meets, or drops below 59.85 Hz.
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