Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the American combined natural gas and electric service company, has reportedly filed an application to CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) for getting approval on five energy storage projects.

Sources cite that the total capacity of these five projects will be around 423 MW. These projects are intended to further integrate green energy from renewable energy sources while confirming the reliability of the electric systems in the future.

According to sources, these five projects feature lithium-ion BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems), each with around four-hour discharge time. These new systems will either be co-located with geothermal or solar plants or developed as part of new renewable energy storage projects.

Speaking on which, Fong Wan who is Senior Vice President of Energy Policy and Procurement at PG&E said that the company is deeply devoted to the California vision of a clean energy future. As PG&E continues to integrate huge amounts of intermittent renewable energy, the company will take advantage of innovations in energy storage technology to confirm that customers continue to receive reliable and clean power from a dependable and flexible electric grid, added Wan.

The agreements for these projects are an outcome of a competitive RFO (Request for Offers) the company launched in February following a Nov. 2019 CPUC decision that recognized potential reliability issues beginning in the year 2021.

The CPUC has apparently authorized load-serving entities and utilities in California to procure resources to address these reliability issues along with meeting the state’s norms regarding greenhouse gas emission. PG&E was sanctioned to procure a minimum of 716.9 MW of system reliability resources to come online between August 1, 2021, and August 1, 2023.

These renewable battery storage projects represent the company’s first phase of procuring system reliability resources that required coming online within a defined timeframe. The company will issue phase two competitive solicitation this summer for resources to come online by Aug. 1, 2022, and Aug. 1, 2023.

Source Credit - https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200519005650/en/PGE-Poised-Expand-Battery-Energy-Storage-Capacity