US energy technology company Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) finalised an agreement last week with Tesla Motors to procure battery capacity of up to 500 mega-watt hours (MWh) for use in its utility-scale energy storage projects.
About 40% of the order will be used to develop 50 MWh of storage for electric utility Southern California Edison.
In November 2014, both companies signed an agreement in which AMS would construct a series of hybrid-electric buildings for the utility.
AMS will accumulate the distributed systems into regional fleets that offer dispatchable, clean load reduction, the company said.
Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, co-founder at AMS, said: “This is all about building resilience into the grid.
“Energy storage turns traditional demand response into firm, reliable capacity – it changes everything about the way the grid is operated.”
Hybrid-electric buildings
AMS also confirmed last week that it has sealed a deal with construction and engineering services company Black & Veatch Corp.
The pair will on work a 10 MHw hybrid-electric building project in Irvine, California next year.
Depending on the project type, the company may use other battery types, other than the lithium-ion. It will also sign batteries agreements with other technology companies.
Residential lithium-ion battery
In early May, Tesla Motors also launched a suite of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for residential application.
The company launched the Powerwall Home Battery, consisting of a series of batteries ranging from 7 kWh to 10 kWh.
The 10 kWh battery works as a back-up and has the potential to run an entire household, should a power outage occur, while the 7 kWh is utilised for everyday use.
