Sun and Batteries in Cedartown
Southern Company and EPRI to Look at Shifting Production, Response, and Integration
Insights from a new multiyear, grid-scale energy storage demonstration project could find their way into an energy system that relies much more on solar and energy storage. EPRI and Southern Company will evaluate the operation and benefits of a 2-megawatt-hour lithium ion storage system integrated with a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility in Cedartown, Georgia. Southern Company is operating the system and conducting tests, and EPRI is supporting data gathering and analysis. LG Chem provided the batteries.
EPRI and Southern Company will investigate the ability of grid-scale batteries to shift solar production to high-demand periods, respond quickly to changing operational needs, and integrate solar with the distribution grid. To refine the storage system’s capabilities, researchers are using computer models that simulate operations of the batteries and Southern Company’s distribution feeder. The research may also help enhance such models.
