San Diego: AES Energy Storage, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation, showcased two new Advancion® battery-based energy storage sites February 28, including a 30 MW, four-hour duration energy storage project that represents the largest lithium ion battery-based energy storage installation in the world, according to the company. The two projects, in partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric, total 37.5 megawatts. The larger site, located at a SDG&E substation in Escondido, California, is 50 percent larger than the next largest installation.
In July 2016, SDG&E fast-tracked energy storage projects to enhance regional grid reliability and selected Advancion 4, AES' fourth generation battery-based energy storage platform. With more than a third of its supplied energy drawn from wind and solar, SDG&E accelerated the deployment of battery-based energy storage to improve reliability and allow integration of greater amounts of renewable energy moving forward.
Located at SDG&E substations in Escondido and El Cajon, the Advancion energy storage arrays will provide 37.5 MW of power and serve as a 75 MW flexible resource to the grid. Combined, the arrays will provide enough capacity to power approximately 25,000 homes for four hours. Both arrays incorporate components from best-in-class Advancion-certified suppliers, including batteries by Samsung SDI and power conversion systems by Parker Hannifin.