Kauai, Hawaii, grid gets solar storage

[Fledermaus]

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) announced Thursday it will install a 1.5-megawatt utility-scale storage battery for its Koloa substation.

The battery storage unit made by Xtreme Power will be used to store and release energy to accommodate the intermittent nature of a nearby solar plant planned for installation on the island of Kauai.

The 3-megawatt Kauai solar plant, which will be built and run by Poipu Solar, will be capable of generating enough electricity to power over 850 Hawaiian homes when running at full capacity.

The solar installation coincides with Hawaii's goal to be generating 70 percent of all its energy used for electricity and ground transport from renewable resources by 2030. But on overcast days or during the night, that electricity flow from the solar plant will fluctuate. Xtreme Power's Dynamic Power Resource utility battery storage system will be used to regulate that ebb and flow of electricity between the solar power plant and the Koloa electricity grid.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20028431-54.html#ixzz1B10X5b9i