San Diego Gas & Electric launches new energy storage facility

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) completed work on a new 20MW/80MWh energy storage facility in Kearny Mesa.

This facility comes online less than a year after SDG&E completed the 30MW/120MWh Top Gun Energy Storage facility in the Miramar area.

“Investing in advanced technologies like energy storage is critical to advancing our state’s and region’s aggressive climate goals, including getting to net zero greenhouse gas emissions, with the added benefit of building a more resilient energy grid,” SDG&E CEO Caroline Winn said. “Project by project, step by step, we are making progress toward a cleaner, safer, and more reliable energy future.”

SDG&E Senior Vice President of Customer Services and External Affairs Scott Crider, SDG&E Vice President of Energy Innovation Miguel Romero, and local labor leaders were on hand this week at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. It can meet the energy needs of about 13,000 homes for up to four hours.

The Kearny facility, which began commercial operation this month, will also be available for dispatch by CAISO. The Kearny facility consists of lithium-ion phosphate batteries housed in special storage cubes that bring additional safety benefits such as temperature sensors and fire retardants.

Battery storage captures renewable resources like wind and solar when they are abundant during the day, then sends that energy back to the grid when it is needed. SDG&E expects to have 145 MW of owned storage connected to the regional grid by the end of this year.