Duke Energy Florida announces three battery storage projects totaling 22 megawatts
Duke Energy Florida (DEF) announced Monday three battery storage projects totaling 22 megawatts (MW), which will improve enhanced grid operations, improve reliability, increase efficiencies, and provide backup generation during power outages.
As the grid manager and operator, DEF can use the batteries to provide benefits such as balancing energy demand, managing intermittent resources, increasing energy security, and deferring traditional power grid upgrades.
“These battery projects provide electric system benefits that will help improve local reliability for our customers and provide significant energy services to the power grid,” Catherine Stempien, Duke Energy Florida state president, said. “Duke Energy Florida will continue to identify opportunities in battery storage technology which will deliver efficiency improvements to our customers.”
The 11 MW Trenton lithium-based battery facility will be located 30 miles west of Gainesville in Gilchrist County. The 5.5 MW Cape San Blas lithium-based battery facility will be located approximately 40 miles southeast of Panama City in Gulf County. The 5.5 MW Jennings lithium-based battery facility will be located 1.5 miles south of the Florida-Georgia border in Hamilton County.
The company plans to complete all three projects by the end of 2020.
DEF plans to invest an estimated $1 billion to construct or acquire a total of 700 MW of solar power facilities and 50 MW of battery storage through 2022.
