It was announced on April 23 that the Drumheller Solar and Battery Storage Project had been approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission. The proposed project includes 13.5 MW of ground mounted solar power capacity, combined with a battery energy storage system with an expected capacity of 8 MW/8MWh. The project is located on approximately 60 acres of land near the Town of Drumheller, Alberta. The land is owned by the Town and currently does not earn any income. Siting of the project in this location will generate additional revenues for the local community, while not restricting future development plans of the Town.
Electricity generated by the development will be exported directly to the existing ATCO Electric 25kV network. Once operational, the project is expected to generate enough power to meet the requirements of approximately 3,000 homes per year. (The 2016 census indicated that Drumheller has a total of 3006 homes).
During operation the project will export electricity generated by the solar array to the local grid network and will also charge the battery energy storage system. The battery will be charged by the solar farm at times of low demand and will be discharged to the grid at peak times, offsetting peak loads and easing stress on the wider electrical system. In its current configuration the project will never export more than 13.5 MW to the grid. The battery energy system will only be charged by the solar farm and not directly from the grid network.
The target operational date for the project is summer of 2021. However, final development timelines will be subject to various factors, including power market conditions. The total development costs for the project are expected to be approximately $25 million.