Alliant Energy to tie new battery-storage solution to solar efforts in Decorah, Iowa

A new battery-storage project is headed to Decorah, Iowa, thanks to the joint efforts of Alliant Energy, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA).

This project will connect to customer-owned solar, which the partners believe will aid the performance and efficiency of the larger electric grid. Customer-owned renewables, Alliant noted, move the community’s electric circuit closer to capacity. In such situations, companies like Alliant are forced with a choice: invest in expensive upgrades to the grid or restrict the number of solar arrays allowed in a given area.

Battery storage was an alternative the partners believe could lower customer costs.

“This battery project is a game-changer in Decorah,“ Terry Kouba, president of Alliant Energy Iowa, said. “We’re installing it on a circuit that’s near capacity for solar. Using batteries can add critical capacity and may save our customers money because a battery costs a fraction of the total to upgrade our system.”

While Alliant will lead the project, it’s being supported by a $250,000 cost-share from the DOE and a $200,000 grant from IEDA. The battery will be established on land leased from the City of Decorah, by Alliant Energy. Sandia National Laboratories will also provide technical support for the project.

“Energy storage technology presents immense opportunity to further harness and complement the state’s renewable energy resources and to foster a more efficient and resilient electric grid,” Debi Durham, director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority, said. “The shared involvement by such a diverse and talented mix of partners is sure to make this project a model for lessons learned and for similar future initiatives.”

Dr. Imre Gyuk of the DOE’s Office of Electricity echoed such sentiments, noting that energy storage can aid the creation of a cost-effective, resilient, and greener grid. Another benefit of this partnership will be that Sandia will collect operational data from it, which will, in turn, inform DOE’s national energy storage research under the DOE-OE’s Stationary Energy Storage Program, which Gyuk runs.

The battery will be 2.5 MW, with a 2.922 MW/hour capability for storing excess solar power. It will release power in the evening, as electricity peaks. It should be complete and in service by year’s end.