The City of Sarnia and Bluewater Power are hoping a proposal for an energy storage hub gets the green light.
Sarnia City Council recently endorsed a plan to lease land to Renewable Energy Systems (RES) Canada for the company to build a 10-megawatt battery energy storage facility, large enough to balance out unsteady frequency from renewable sources like wind and solar, and act as a temporary backup power supply in the event of a blackout.
“We have a lot of green energy in our system,” said Chris Gould, vice-president with Bluewater Power, noting eight solar farms contribute 80 megawatts to the Sarnia-Lambton utility’s distribution system.
“As many solar farms go up and as many wind farms go up, I think over the coming years you’re going to see as many energy storage projects develop,” he said.
“At a high level, we offer technical expertise … and we offer what operation and maintenance of it will look like from our standpoint,” he said.
Renewable Energy Systems, the RES Canada parent company, has been involved in more than 100 wind and solar energy projects totaling 10,000 megawatts on four continents, city officials said.
It also operates one of the first grid-connected batteries in North America, the Amphora station in Strathroy.
The actual batteries are encased in sea containers, set in place on pillars or footings and connected to nearby transformers.
The proposal calls for about a half acre’s worth.
The Sarnia battery hub’s proposed 10 megawatts is about five per cent of Bluewater Power’s distribution system, Gould said, noting the system operates between 185 and 200 megawatts at any given time.