SAN DIEGO, Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The California
Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved a proposal by San
Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to build two new energy
storage projects in San Diego
County. In May, the CPUC directed Southern California electric utilities to
fast-track additional energy storage options to enhance regional
energy reliability.
Adding storage resources improves the overall reliability of the
grid as it allows the system to accommodate greater amounts of
renewable power and helps to ease congestion. SDG&E proposes to
charge the batteries during times when there
is an abundance of solar or wind power and discharge them
during the peak usage time in the early evening.
"We were in the process of a competitive solicitation for energy
storage and already had completed a pre-evaluation of respondents,"
said James P. Avery, SDG&E's
chief development officer. "As a result, we could move quickly to
respond to the CPUC's request for expedited proposals."
In mid-July, SDG&E signed an agreement with AES for a total
of 37.5 megawatts (MW) of lithium-ion battery storage. AES is a
major supplier of advanced storage technology and other energy
resources around the world.
SDG&E will own the storage projects that AES will build on
utility-owned property in Escondido and El
Cajon. The larger of the two will be a 30-MW unit and the
smaller will be a 7.5-MW unit.
Construction will begin immediately and should be completed in
early 2017.
The CPUC requires SDG&E to procure a total of 165 MW of
energy storage by 2020, to be operational by 2024.
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and
reliable energy service to 3.5 million consumers through 1.4
million electric meters and 873,000 natural gas meters in
San Diego and southern
Orange counties. The utility's
area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to
creating ways to help customers save energy and money every
day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a
Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. Connect with SDG&E's Customer
Contact Center at 800-411-7343, on Twitter (@SDGE) and
Facebook.
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SOURCE San Diego Gas & Electric