AES Corp. opens two major battery storage facilities in California

The AES Corp. recently opened its 100 MW, 400 MWh Luna Battery Storage and 127 MW, 508 MWh Lancaster Area Battery Storage (LAB) facilities in Lancaster, Calif.

The facilities came online in August and September 2022, respectively. Combined, they are one of the largest battery storage facilities in the world.

“The Luna and LAB Battery Storage projects are two critically important steps in California’s safe and reliable energy transition,” Leo Moreno, AES Clean Energy president, said. “With these two projects, we are delivering the reliable energy our customers and California’s residents need. The Luna and LAB projects demonstrate how we’re advancing the state’s 2045 zero carbon emissions goal.”

The Luna and LAB Battery Storage systems store renewable energy that can be dispatched when needed, typically during increased electricity demand. The Luna and LAB facilities can provide enough energy to power 170,000 homes in Southern California for four hours.

On Sept. 6, 2022, one of the most demanding days for the Los Angeles region’s power grid due to the heatwave, battery storage set records in terms of grid support. Overall, more than 2,800 MW of battery capacity was discharged to the grid that day. The AES facilities contributed close to 280 MW of capacity during that period.

Clean Power Alliance is contracted to purchase power from Luna, while Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is contracted to purchase capacity from LAB.