San Diego International Airport to become first US airport with ENGIE Storage battery system
The San Diego International Airport plans to install a two-megawatt/four-megawatt hour GridSynergy energy storage system to supplement its existing photovoltaic solar system, as part of a contract with ENGIE Storage.
“The San Diego International Airport is taking significant steps to reduce their carbon footprint and energy storage is playing an important role in their success,” Christopher Tilley, CEO at ENGIE Storage, said. “This is an important milestone as more airports are shifting their attention to the over-arching benefits energy storage brings, especially paired with renewables and efficiency measures.”
For ENGIE, it marks the first time a U.S. airport has installed one of their battery systems, while for SAN it marks the next step in a strategic energy plan. The system will help reduce energy charges during peak demand — approximately 40 percent of the airport’s monthly electricity costs. It’s also sustainable and green, calculating the optimal charge and discharge cycles for its batteries through analysis of past and present energy generation and usage data, and allowing greater carbon footprint reduction as the airport presses its solar portfolio forward. Currently, the airport supports 5.5 MW of solar generation through its various arrays.
“We are continuously exploring ways to operate more efficiently and reduce the airport’s carbon footprint as energy cost and demand rise,” San Diego International Airport President and CEO Kimberly Becker said. “This system becomes an important tool in that effort by helping to harness our onsite renewable energy opportunities and maximize their benefits well into the future.”
The system is expected to be online early next year.
