LG&E and KU’s Energy Storage Research, Demonstration site begins operation
LG&E and KU Energy’s Energy Storage Research and Demonstration site at E.W. Brown Station in Mercer County, Kentucky recently entered operation.
The company’s research and development team, in conjunction with the Electric Power Research Institute (ERPI), will develop, test and evaluate of energy storage and battery technologies at the site.
“The Energy Storage Research & Demonstration Site is unique among other sites in the utility industry in that it provides us a testbed for evaluating utility-scale energy storage technologies,” Research Engineer and Scientist Nick Jewell, who oversaw the development of the facility, said. “The site provides the capability to test multiple storage technologies at once, while not only looking at the performance and operation of individual storage systems, but also the integration challenges with the evolving electric grid of the future.”
Energy storage has the potential to enhance a utility’s generation and delivery and consumption of electricity. Storage technologies can help restore power during an outage, balance delivery during peak demand and improve grid reliability.
Through the Energy Storage Program, ERPI provides LG&E and KU with technical evaluations of current systems around the world, information on technology advancements and updates on developing standards and practices.
LG&E and KU’s research centers on the operational characteristics and costs of storage and battery technologies, as well as integration challenges with the constantly evolving electrical grid.
