The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) is seeking proposals for a 500MW energy storage facility at San Vicente Reservoir in San Diego in the US state of California.
According to SDCWA, the project would have 5 to 8 hours of energy storage will help investor-owned utilities to source half of their energy from renewables by 2030.
Besides, the proposed energy storage project could balance the electric grids by producing locally generated renewable energy on demand. It would also stabilize water rates as a new revenue source.
The project will come up in an energy load center and would help steady the electricity transmission grid maintained by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).
It could capitalize resources that are available like the San Vicente Dam and Reservoir along with a nearby high-voltage transmission line, stated SDCWA.
The project would feature an interconnection and pumping system between a new, smaller reservoir located uphill and the San Vicente Reservoir.
In January, the Water Authority and the City of San Diego contacted electric utilities, developers, energy off-takers, investors and others who were interested in purchasing the services provided by the potential San Vicente Energy Storage project. The result was 18 qualified parties responding to the Water Authority’s proposed project.
SDCWA board of directors chair Mark Muir said: “We wanted to find out if there really is a broad desire among potential stakeholders to see a project like this in our region, and now we know there is.
“We’re now going to gather more details about how it could come together for the benefit of ratepayers.”
The interest letters from the parties to Water Authority had helped the latter and the city to work out preferred partnership models that would keep the risk of the agencies as low as possible.