TransAlta set to flip switch on Alberta's first large-scale battery storage project, using technology from Tesla
Source: Chris Varcoe · CALGARY HERALD · | August 5, 2020
If the technology works on a larger scale, it could be a 'game-changer' for the electricity industry
The new WindCharger battery storage project being development by TransAlta Corporation is seen near Pincher Creek. The project has been under development this year and will begin operating later this month. COURTESY TRANSALTA CORPORATION
It’s slightly smaller than the size of a soccer pitch and uses technology from Tesla.
According to executives with Alberta’s largest power generator, it has huge potential and the project is “really cool.”
If the technology works on a larger scale, it could be a “game-changer” for the electricity industry helping manage the issue surrounding renewable energy not being available when the sun doesn’t shine or wind doesn’t blow.
Later this month, Calgary-based TransAlta Corp. will flip the switch on Alberta’s first utility-scale, lithium-ion battery storage facility, known as the WindCharger project.
The development, northeast of Pincher Creek, will be able to store electricity from the company’s nearby Summerview wind farm and then discharge it when needed.
The project, costing about $16 million to build, consists of three Tesla lithium-ion battery storage groupings, capable of distributing 10 megawatts (MW) for up to two hours, providing up to 20 MWh of storage capacity.
“It is really cool . . . It was put together in a matter of months, in terms of construction. It was great when we saw the batteries coming up from Tesla and in place,” said John Kousinioris, TransAlta’s chief operating officer.
“It’s an opportunity for us to match storage and our renewable wind power generation.”
Alberta is a leading jurisdiction in Canada for developing wind power and some solar projects are also moving ahead. Battery storage facilities could be a key piece in a larger puzzle of how to balance the intermittent nature of wind and solar resources.
“When the wind is blowing or prices are really low, what we will do is take power from the wind farm to actually charge up the batteries,” Kousinioris said in an interview Tuesday.