RE+ Tech Supp to POWER September 2023 - 18

EMPOWERING CLEAN ENERGY
ENERGY STORAGE
Ameresco, Colorado Co-op Collaborate
on Energy Storage Project
A
Colorado electric cooperative
said it has joined with energy
integrator Ameresco on a battery
energy storage system (BESS) project
that will serve customers along the
state's northern Front Range.
United Power, founded as rural electric
co-op in 1938 and today serving
some of the fastest-growing areas of
Colorado, on July 10 announced it had
signed a 20-year agreement under which
Ameresco will install a 78.3-MW/313.34MWh
BESS at multiple sites on the cooperative's
electric distribution system.
Ameresco said it expects the system will
begin service in 2024.
" The use of batteries on our distribution
network is essential to a resilient
and responsive power system, and we
are excited to be moving ahead with
one of the most aggressive plans for
such a system, " said Mark A. Gabriel,
president and CEO of United Power.
" These battery arrays will allow us to
balance our power needs throughout
the day and incorporate local renewables
more efficiently. "
Ameresco will provide four 11.75MW,
and four 7.84-MW, battery arrays
across eight different substation sites
owned by United Power. The substations
are in Adams, Broomfield, and
Weld counties and include parts of the
Denver-area suburbs. The batteries
will allow United Power to store and
dispatch power during periods of high
demand for electricity. United Power
said it's a way for the co-op to optimize
its energy resources and enhance the
resilience of the power grid.
'Resilient and Efficient'
" We are thrilled to partner with United
Power on this transformational battery
storage project, " said Jon Mancini,
Ameresco senior vice president of Solar
Project Development. " The inclusion
of this expansive asset in Ameresco's
portfolio further underscores the globUnited
Power serves about 110,000
customers and maintains and operates
more than 6,500 miles of distribution
line. The co-op's 900-square mile service
territory wraps around the north
and west borders of Denver International
Airport.
18 Supplement to POWER & RE+ 2023
This is a rendering of one of eight sites in Colorado where Ameresco would install battery energy storage as
part of an agreement with electric cooperative United Power. Source: Ameresco
al need for energy storage to bolster
clean and sustainable power sources.
Energy storage plays a crucial role in
enhancing grid reliability, optimizing
renewable energy utilization, and fostering
a resilient and efficient energy
future. "
" The use of batteries on
our distribution network is
essential to a resilient and
responsive power system,
and we are excited to be
moving ahead with one of
the most aggressive plans for
such a system. These battery
arrays will allow us to balance
our power needs throughout
the day and incorporate local
renewables more efficiently. "
- Mark A. Gabriel
Battery energy storage projects
are still in an early-adoption period in
Colorado. Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest
utility, earlier this year announced
plans to deploy a 10-MW/1,000-MWh
BESS using iron-air battery technology
from Form Energy at its retiring
Comanche coal-fired plant in Pueblo.
Another similar Xcel site this week received
regulatory approval for deployment
in Minnesota, near the Sherburne
County Generating Station.
Colorado officials have said they
want 80% of utility-scale power generation
in the state to come from renewable
energy, including energy storage,
by 2030.
This week's announcement of the
United Power project comes just days
after Ameresco secured another BESS
supply agreement with independent
power producer Middle River Power, a
private equity group with energy projects
in several states. Ameresco said
it will deploy four BESS projects in
California, with a total capacity of 379
MWh. Those projects are expected to
be online late next year.
-Darrell Proctor is a senior associate
editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).

https://twitter.com/powermagazine

RE+ Tech Supp to POWER September 2023

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