CPS Energy will conduct a three-year research study with Premium Power Corporation (Premium Power) on technology that can store electricity from traditional and renewable energy sources. The study aims to help determine the functionality and affordability of storage devices to help meet Greater San Antonio’s future energy demand. CPS Energy will evaluate Premium Power’s TransFlow 2000 zinc-flow battery system in various operations and assess the pluses and minuses of energy storage.
“Until recently, there haven’t been ways to ’inventory’ or store large amounts of electricity,” said Paula Miles, CPS Energy’s director of energy research and technology initiatives. “Electricity is used or lost, quite literally, at the exact moment it’s produced. Energy storage systems will serve as ’electricity warehouses,‘ storing electricity that’s less expensive to generate during off-peak times of the day or by intermittent, renewable resources like wind and solar, for use during peak-demand periods such as hot summer afternoons.”
The TransFlow 2000 zinc-flow battery system can be transported to various locations atop a 53-foot-long tractor-trailer, or it can be off loaded and operate from a stationary location. Preliminary information indicates the system can store up to 2.8 MWh of electricity.
The TransFlow 2000 includes a Web-based monitoring system, but it also will be integrated into CPS Energy’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. This will test how well energy storage devices fit into the overall CPS Energy electric system.
“From the perspective of sustainability, the TransFlow 2000 is especially attractive because it is environmentally friendly,” said Shaneshia McNair, research engineer. “It contains no hazardous chemicals and does not emit carbon emissions or flammable gases such as hydrogen like lead-acid batteries are known to do.”
The TransFlow 2000 has not been deployed yet, McNair added. Other utilities have expressed interest in the technology, but CPS Energy will be receiving the first unit and plans to have it commissioned in summer 2009.
“By the end of the three-year study, we will have a better understanding of the technical feasibility of deploying energy-storage systems, the costs associated with this technology and the skill sets required for integrating, operating and maintaining them in our electric system,” Miles said. “We will also understand safety aspects, the value these systems provide for planning and operations utility-wide, and what opportunities there might be for cooperative energy partnerships with customers.”
Premium Power is a US-based manufacturer of energy storage and power quality assurance solutions.