New York to host 100 MW/400 MWh battery

From pv magazine USA

Con Edison and solar specialist 174 Power Global have announced plans to place one of the largest battery projects in New York state at an industrial location within sight of Manhattan’s skyscrapers.

The New York Power Authority’s Poletti plant in Astoria, Queens, was shut down a decade ago. The 885 MW natural gas- and oil-fueled generating unit also was one of New York City’s largest single sources of pollution.

Now, in a site redevelopment, 174 Power Global will build and operate the East River Energy Storage System, a 100-MW/400 MWh battery energy storage system. Under a seven-year contract with Con Edison, the utility will bid power from the system into the state’s wholesale energy market. Con Edison will get the revenue from the sales during the contract term. At the end of the contract, 174 Power Global will dispatch power into the grid.

The battery units at the East River Energy Storage System site will not produce any emissions, the utility said. Construction will start in late 2021 or early 2022 and the facility could go into service in late 2022.

“This project with 174 Power Global will help displace some fossil fuel-fired generation when the demand for power is highest,” said Tim Cawley, Con Edison’s president.

The East River Energy Storage System is intended to balance peak electricity demand and provide grid reliability by delivering reactive power, voltage support and frequency stability. According to the New York Power Authority’s president and CEO, Gil Quiniones, the adaptive reuse of its former power plant site for energy storage is “a first step” in using its assets as a catalyst and test bed for clean energy technologies.

“Additional energy storage development, especially in long duration storage, is key for the continued growth of renewable energy,” said Quiniones.

New York state has mandated 3 GW of storage by 2030. Under the bulk solicitation requirement, Con Edison must procure at least 300 MW. The utility already has a handful of battery projects in New York City, including a 2 MW battery system in Queens, a 1 MW storage unit at a customer site on Staten Island, and a 4.8 MW battery system in Brooklyn.

New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, enacted last year, mandated a zero-emissions electricity sector by 2040. The act includes 70% renewable generation by 2030, and requires the state to reach economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.