AES Alamitos has selected Fluence, a provider of energy storage and technology services, as supplier for the project
Image: AES Alamitos new facility will provide power at times of peak demand. Photo: Courtesy of Andrew Martin from Pixabay.
AES Alamitos, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation, has broken ground on a 400MWh battery-based energy storage system for Alamitos Energy Center (AEC) in Southern California.
The energy storage project is part of a larger modernization and replacement project of the existing AES Alamitos Generating Station. The energy storage facility in Long Beach is expected to ensure power flexibility and reliability for Southern California Edison (SCE) customers, and help the state meet its aggressive target of 100% clean energy by 2045.
AES selects Fluence as battery supplier for the project
AES Alamitos has selected Fluence, a provider of energy storage and technology services, as supplier for the project.
Fluence would supply its Advancion 5 batteries and control systems for the project, which are capable of supplying power for tens of thousands of homes in milliseconds, when fully charged.
Fluence chief operating officer John Zahurancik said: “Alamitos energy storage will stand as the first of a new generation of energy storage procured as stand-alone alternatives to new gas plants. It represents a whole new way to think about capacity and reliability.
“Its size, flexibility and long duration stand as a benchmark, and showcase energy storage as a mainstream option for peaking power and grid support. Energy storage market growth and innovation can only accelerate from here, and we will continue to partner with industry leaders like AES and Southern California Edison as together we transform the way we power our world.”
AES Alamitos said that its new storage facility will not only provide power at times of peak demand, but also helps in grid modernization, increasing integration of renewable energy, and lowering costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2014, AES Southland was awarded a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) by SCE to provide 100MW of interconnected energy storage. The award is part of a $2bn (£1.5bn) repowering initiative in Long Beach to replace aging natural gas peakers with a combination of efficient combined-cycle gas capacity and battery energy storage.