Today Primus Power (“Primus”), a leader in stationary energy storage systems, and Puget Sound Energy (“PSE”), Washington state’s largest utility, announced the installation of a stationary energy storage system at one of its renewable generation facilities.
The flow battery system, a Primus EnergyPod 2, was installed in September 2017. Primus received partial funding for the installation through the Technology Innovation Project grant from the Bonneville Power Administration and the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”).
“Our customers value the environment and so do we, so PSE is investing in clean energy and new technologies to provide a sustainable future for everyone,” said PSE Director of Strategic Initiatives Roger Garratt. “Energy storage systems, like the one installed by Primus, increases our understanding of clean energy. They will also allow us to evaluate cost savings that battery systems offer to our customers.”
Dr. Imre Gyuk, Director of Energy Storage Research at DOE’s Office of Electricity, puts grid-tied electrical energy storage in perspective: “The traditional grid works as a one-way flow from generation to load, and it is relatively predictable. Adding renewable energy to the grid will introduce fluctuations, but the energy storage systems buffer this variability, allowing easier integration of renewables. In particular, long duration storage is becoming an attractive alternative to deploying back-up diesel generators, allowing deferral of new substation construction.”
Primus has been working with PSE for several years. “We are incredibly fortunate to work with a forward thinking utility like PSE”, remarks Tom Stepien, Primus Power’s CEO. “PSE is the Pacific Northwest’s largest utility producer of renewable electricity, and America’s third-largest utility generator of wind power. They are a perfect partner for Primus: our multi-year relationship has increased our understanding of real-world renewable projects and helped strengthen our products and team.”
