PG&E and Energy Vault partner on largest U.S. green hydrogen Long-Duration Energy Storage System
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. announced a new cooperation this week that will eventually yield the largest green hydrogen Long-Duration Energy Storage System in the United States and a first-of-its-kind hybrid.
On the surface, the system will be able to provide a minimum of 293 MW hours of carbon-free energy, specifically capable of powering customers on PG&e’s Calistoga microgrid for up to 48 hours during planned outages and potential Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). This could be particularly useful during times of high wildfire risk.
This also alludes to the hybrid nature of the system, though, which showcases its uniqueness. It will have grid forming and black start capabilities, thanks to a mix of long duration fuel cells and green liquid hydrogen for its storage system. This means it mixes long duration capabilities and a short duration battery system.
“PG&E selected Energy Vault’s innovative hybrid architecture and design to create a cost-effective, community-scale, fully carbon-free microgrid that can store and dispatch on-demand renewable energy,” Ron Richardson, regional vice president of North Bay and North Coast for PG&E, said. “This breakthrough collaboration between PG&E and Energy Vault provides a template for future, renewable community-scale microgrids that successfully integrate third-party distributed energy resources, which is expected to cost customers less than the benchmark set by state regulators based on the alternative use of mobile diesel generators.”
Notably, PG&E also highlighted the system’s capability for expanding its capacity up to an eventual 700 MW hours. All of this will be possible with the use of less than one acre of land, and PG&E and use and upgrade its existing distribution infrastructure to make the microgrid work. Energy Vault’s role in this will be to provide full system control and optimized dispatching for its batteries, hydrogen tanks, and fuel cells. In this way, the hybrid structure will replace the mobile diesel generators PG&E has historically used to energize its Calistoga microgrid during outages, making it a major upgrade in cleanliness.
“We’re excited to partner with PG&E on this groundbreaking project that reflects Energy Vault’s differentiated ability to design, build and operate innovative and utility-scale energy storage solutions that meet our customers’ specific needs in achieving their grid reliability and decarbonization goals,” Robert Piconi, chairman and CEO of Energy Vault, said. “We are setting a new benchmark for what can be achieved with an innovative design that integrates the most advanced energy storage mediums in order to deliver a fully renewable green hydrogen battery energy storage system.”
PG&E will support the project through a 10.5-year tolling agreement, with construction expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023. Commercial operation should follow by the end of 2024’s second quarter.
