Duke Energy to create battery storage, solar panel-based microgrid in Indiana
Looking to advance greater grid reliability through cleaner energy use in Indiana, Duke Energy has announced plans to install battery storage equipment and solar panels at the National Guard’s Camp Atterbury.
The installation will create a sort of microgrid in Johnston County, which will be bolstered by the installation of further battery storage equipment at a separate substation in Nabb, Indiana. The self-contained power system would benefit from the battery storage system by allowing the company to shift energy from lower-usage periods to higher-usage periods for the area, in addition to the general stability improvement.
“Given our recent success with the installation of a 17-megawatt solar power plant at Naval Support Activity Crane, we were eager to find another opportunity to join with the U.S. military to incorporate new technology into our grid operations,” Melody Birmingham-Byrd, Duke Energy Indiana state president, said. “The project at Camp Atterbury will help us gain valuable operating experience and may help determine how best to expand the new technology to other areas.”
In the case of major grid failures, both the Camp Atterbury microgrid and the Nabb substation battery would enable continued service to customers. In both cases, however, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission must still approve them before any work can proceed.
