POWER and RE+ Tech Supp September 2022 - 23

SEPTEMBER 2022 | WWW.POWERMAG.COM
Caribbean's Largest System Takes Shape
Ground was broken in December for
construction of the Caribbean's largest
solar generation and energy storage
system, being built on St. Kitts
Island. It's an example of how storage
is supporting the power grid, particularly
in developing areas. The Government
of St. Kitts and Nevis, and
the state-owned St. Kitts Electric Co.
(SKELEC) launched the project with
the owner Leclanché, a Swiss energy
storage company that is serving as
the prime engineering, procurement,
and construction (EPC) contractor.
The system will provide between 30%
and 35% of the island's baseload energy
needs for the next 20-25 years.
The $70 million microgrid project
is a fully integrated system consisting
of three core components: a 35.7MW
solar photovoltaic system (the
solar field), a 14.8-MW/45.7-MWh
lithium-ion battery energy storage
system (BESS), and Leclanché's proprietary
energy management system
(EMS) software. The system's batteries
will be housed in 14 custom-deogies
to harness kinetic or gravitational
energy to store electricity.
" We've been following storage for
years, and it's always been 'almost'
there, " said Morten Lund, a partner in
the Energy Development group with
Stoel Rives, and chair of the firm's Energy
Storage Initiative. Lund said having
storage attached to solar power
installations " is almost standard for
the U.S. You can use peakers [gasfired
peaking plants] for your shortterm
leveling, and storage when you
need to take care of overgeneration. It
makes it easily the most cost-effective
solution for that problem in California
[Figure 2].
" We've been through a few technology
cycles, " Lund told POWER. " Lithium-ion
is the dominant technology,
and is likely to stay that for the foreseeable
future. It's relatively cheap,
signed enclosures near the main
SKELEC power station and adjacent
to the solar field. A portion of the
generated electricity will meet the
island's daily peak power demand;
the remaining energy will charge the
large-scale BESS to meet a second
peak demand after the sun sets.
" This clean energy project marks a
significant milestone for our citizens,
tourist economy, our broader business
community, and indeed the entire Caribbean
region, " said Dr. The Honorable
Timothy Harris, St. Kitts and Nevis
prime minister. " The amount of carbon
dioxide emissions we will reduce-
nearly three-quarters of a million metric
tons over 20 years-is a significant
demonstration of our strong policy for
clean, renewable energy. "
Leclanché has worked with SKELEC
to develop the system. The company
will own and operate the facility
under its strategic build, own, and
operate model, and invest through
its St. Kitts subsidiary, SOLEC Power,
with partner Solrid. Its EMS software
will integrate all the components of
the system and efficiently manage
the delivery of electricity to the SKELEC
grid, while also providing spinning
reserve, frequency regulation,
and load-balancing functions.
" Together, we have designed a
system whose construction and ongoing
energy production will be paid
for over time from the sale of clean
and reliable solar energy. We are
pleased to have accomplished both
objectives while developing a project
financeable by well-established institutional
investors, " said Leclanché
CEO Anil Srivastava.
Once completed, which is anticipated
in the first half of 2022, the
solar and storage system will replace
more than four million gallons of
diesel fuel per year. It is expected to
generate about 61,300 MWh of electricity
in its first year.
-Bryan Urban is executive
vice president North America
for Leclanché.
2. The Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility is located at the site of Vistra Energy's natural
gas-fired Moss Landing Power Plant in California, owned by Vistra since it acquired
the facility's previous owner, Dynegy, in 2018. Phase 1 of the energy storage project
was connected to the power grid in December 2020. The 300-MW/1,200-MWh battery
energy storage system is among the world's largest. Phase 2 of the project is expected
to begin operating this year, adding another 100 MW/400 MWh of capacity. Courtesy:
Vistra Energy
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POWER and RE+ Tech Supp September 2022

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