UET to Deliver ReFlex Energy Storage System to Las Positas College Microgrid
Mukilteo, WA (PRWEB) December 09, 2016 -- UniEnergy Technologies (UET), the leading flow battery provider in North America and Europe, will supply a ReFlex™ energy storage system to Las Positas College (LPC) in Livermore, California. The energy storage solution will provide an immediate financial benefit to the college campus by reducing peak demand charges. It will also be part of a campus-wide microgrid project to be used to evaluate methods to lower energy costs, manage the impacts of high-density renewable energy resources, and increase energy resilience on a higher education campus.
The UET ReFlex system will initially include one, 100 kilowatt (kW)/ 500 kilowatt hour (kWh) advanced vanadium flow battery, to support an existing 2.35 megawatt (MW) solar array and 3200 ton/hour ice storage system. The college has the option to purchase and install an additional ReFlex battery at a future date. The ReFlex, “plug and play” by design, will integrate with software provided by Geli for collaborative microgrid management. Geli’s product delivers intelligent energy applications such as microgrid management and demand response. The project is managed by WSP|Parsons Brinkerhoff and funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission.
In addition to reducing peak demand charges, the energy storage and management systems will smooth variable nature of the solar power and reduce the demand from the college, which is nearly 15% of the local circuit load at peak evening hours. The college estimates it could save over $600,000 in energy costs with the addition of one ReFlex battery, and close to $1.3 million with two ReFlex batteries. The college will also use the microgrid working with Pacific Gas & Electric and Olivine to improve local grid conditions through services such as demand response.
“The addition of long-duration energy storage to this project will enable Las Positas College to realize the full benefits of their solar installation and complete its transformation to a modern microgrid,” said Mike Carr, UET Vice President of Strategic and Western Sales. “In addition to the immediate cost and resiliency benefits to the college, the local utility and community will also benefit from reduced stress on the local circuit provided by the storage-enabled microgrid.”
The microgrid project will inform development of the next-generation grid where energy customers proactively manage their own generation and storage assets across a network, gaining benefits for themselves and their surrounding connected communities. The college plans to share their data and knowledge across the California community college system and beyond, according to Doug Horner, Vice Chancellor, Facilities/Bond Programs and Operations for the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.
“We will produce a Microgrid Blueprint as a model for evaluating, planning and installing energy storage and energy management microgrids at the hundreds of educational facilities across the state with installed solar PV arrays,” he said. “The performance and economic data will provide support for educational facilities leaders and solution providers evaluating the benefits for the schools themselves and their communities. This includes intelligent coordination of distributed energy resources such as solar PV and energy storage and increased reliability.”
The UET system is scheduled to be delivered to the site and commissioned in Spring 2017.
About Las Positas College:
Las Positas College currently enrolls nearly 8,500 day and evening students. The College offers curriculum for students seeking career preparation, transfer to a four-year college or university, or personal enrichment. The College provides university transfer classes, retraining classes for those in need of employment or career advancement, a first-time educational opportunity for many adults, enrichment classes for those seeking a broader perspective, and career and technical training for those entering the technical and paraprofessional work force. Las Positas College excels in helping students transfer to the University of California system, the California State University system, and other four-year institutions. Visit http://www.laspositascollege.edu for more information.
About UniEnergy Technologies
UET provides turn-key, megawatt-scale energy storage solutions that deliver the full range of power and energy applications for microgrid, military, commercial and industrial, utility, and independent power producer customers. UET has systems totaling over 20MW/80MWh’s deployed, ordered, or awarded in CA, NY, WA, HI, TN, Germany, and Italy. Founded in 2012, UET has grown from a start-up company commercializing technology initially developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, to a global company leading in the deployment of MW-scale containerized flow battery systems. UET’s customers consistently cite the value of fade-free performance, unrestricted duty cycle, and 20-year life as key reasons for selecting UET systems. For more information, visit http://www.uetechnologies.com.
Renee Gastineau, UniEnergy Technologies, http://www.uetechnologies.com, +1 206-719-8112, [email protected]
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