Valence Technology Brings Intelligent Batteries to “Smart Grid Community of the Futur

[xcel]

$13.5 Million DOE Grant to Help Fund a $27.4 Million Regional Demonstration Project.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - April 10, 2010

Harnessing the wind… When there is little or none.

“Technology Solutions for Wind Integration in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas”

Valence Technology announced it has been selected as the preferred residential/community battery technology provider for the “Smart Grid Community of the Future,” the first smart grid solar powered residential development in Texas, the Houston-area master planned community of Discovery at Spring Trails. Utilizing its Li-PO battery design, including intelligent Command & Control logic, Valence Technology will supply dynamic energy systems for the individual smart grid residences containing electric vehicle charging stations and smart appliances. Valence Technology’s energy solutions will be used to support a smart-energy practice known as “peak shaving,” whereby smart appliances like dishwashers and washing machines are efficiently utilized during peak demand hours.

This smart grid project will demonstrate how community battery systems can enhance grid stability and decrease overall electricity costs by practicing “peak shaving.” Homeowners can avoid higher peak power costs during evening hours when multiple appliances are typically running after Valence Technology dynamic energy systems kick-in to power the smart appliances.

“Valence Technology is proud to be involved with a project as pioneering as the Discovery at Spring Trails smart grid community,” said Robert L. Kanode, president and CEO, Valence Technology. “By significantly reducing homeowners' energy costs through peak shaving, community storage applications will gain acceptance in the marketplace. Valence Technology is well-positioned to provide proven, field-tested dynamic energy systems that will enable greener, smarter and more efficient energy use.”

As part of the regional demonstration project entitled “Technology Solutions for Wind Integration in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT),” the “Smart Grid Community of the Future” will serve as a test model for the development of future distributed energy-generation communities utilizing clean technologies. The project includes improved technologies to monitor the ERCOT electric grid and expanded smart portal capability to support demand response in the new development, Discovery at Spring Trails. With $13.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the $27.4 million project is scheduled to break ground this year.

The team for this “Smart Grid” project includes CCET, Valence Technology, Southwest Research Institute, Electric Power Group, EcoEdge, CenterPoint Energy, Oncor, American Electric Power, Sharyland Utilities, Land Tejas Developers, Montgomery County Municipal Utility District 119, Xtreme Power/Energy Xtreme, General Electric, GridPoint, Direct Energy, Drummond Group and Frontier Associates.

Valence Technology stationary energy storage systems are designed for use in frequency regulation, community energy storage, telecommunications back-up power, auxiliary power units and uninterruptible power supply projects around the globe.

Conclusions

With the need to store power for ties when it cannot be generated (wind and solar), this could be a start. The question is however, the large capacity of Li-PO cells and banks to maintain a household’s needs when called upon is going to be big $’s for the average consumer today

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

While batteries are expensive, to be useful for increasing use of alternative energy the local storage doesn't have to run houses for too long so that wouldn't necessary have to be that large. It just needs to be enough to reduce conventional generation:
- provide enough of a buffer so that base conventional generation can be reduced and only increased in response to the reduced alternative generation.
- increase the decision time after drops in alternative generation before conventional generation has to be ramped out.
- smooth the supply by storing excess charge.

In addition local buffers can reduce the number of power cuts and use of backup generation.

In the longer term capacity can gradually be increased.

If it cost $1,000/kW and the batteries lasted 5 years it would add $16.66/kW to a monthly bill.

Over the last year we've used an average of 21.76kWh/day. Projecting forwards it will cost us $100.72/month at current prices ($0.148/kWh). (Our peak was July at 25.03 kWh/day).

I don't know how much capacity would be needed to make a difference to generation but I expect that there could be some great potential. I think the biggest problem is that utilities want to sell electricity so they don't care about efficiency while the market can bear the prices.

And no need any car-to-grid nonsense.

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Someday I'd love to have a residence supported largely by local solar and wind generated electricity backed by an enormous battery bank...

[jimepting]

It is an interesting article and one can pretty easily see how peak shaving would reduce the size and cost of the infrastructure, but I don't think the answer will be found in finding ways to "cheapen" the cost of a constant energy demand. We must somehow teach folks how to maintain quality of life with LESS energy use.

As I sit here in my SMALL house in Richmond, there are no lights on at all, only natural window light, windows open for ventilation, one ceiling fan running, I see very little energy being consumed. The TV and Satellite receiver are not only off, but disconnected. When I have dinner in a while, this computer will be off and disconnected. There is a low volume showerhead on the shower, and I'm constantly looking for more places to insulate. I'm working on an afternoon/winter night insulated shutter for the front, sunny side, picture window. I made my afternoon shopping trip, first in two days, in a hybride car. This is the level of thought that will cut our energy demand, but it takes an engineer to figure it out, or a good listener, and and I don't personally have a lot of hope.