Wärtsilä, the leading technology group, will provide with up to 200 megawatts of energy storage solutions for two interconnected projects in southern Texas, the company announced this Monday.
Firstly, Able Grid Energy placed the order, and Wärtsilä booked it back in February. Able Gird, on the other hand, is a utility-scale energy storge developer arm of MAP RE/ES, one of North America’s leading investors in modern energy projects.
Secondly, the storage projects are called Madero and Ignacio; they will deliver grid support to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which is responsible for more than 25 electric customers in the state. The combined capacity of the two plants will be of 200 MW.
Thirdly, Wärtsilä will deliver to Madero and Ignacio plants its GridSolv Quantum energy storage solution; a modular solution designed to ease deployment and to expand the project’s sustainability. They will be fully operational by January 2022.
Moreover, the storage systems will also include the company’s GEMS platform; which is a smart energy digital platform to monitor and control the flow of power; these two features will procure ERCOT with critical grid support; in order for it to keep delivering power even in the face of extreme weather conditions.
Also recommended for you: GreenIT, the new Eni and CDP Equity joint company for renewables production
Wärtsilä will provide to ERCOT with critical grid support, and key ancillary services
In addition, Able Grid will provide with construction and management services for the facilities. Since its founding in 2016, the company has been investing in communities and markets where energy storage will generate long-term value to utilities.
On the other hand, MAP RE/ES has been an innovating and leading investor in renewable energy projects since 2005; it has directly funded the development of more than 16,000 MW of operating wind and solar generating capacity located across the United States.
Consequently, “the Madero and Ignacio projects will participate in the existing ERCOT wholesale electricity market; delivering key ancillary services required for grid stability, including frequency regulation.” Commented Aaron Zubaty, CEO of MAP RE/ES.
While adding: “Years of development by forward-looking innovators like Wärtsilä now allow us to deploy market-driven solutions; ones that will improve electricity grid reliability and also performance while enabling further decarbonization of electricity markets,” added Aaron Zubaty, CEO of MAP RE/ES.
Finally, Risto Paldanius, Wärtsilä Energy VP for the Americas, said. “Energy storage is rapidly becoming a key asset for the global energy markets; Wärtsilä has also a leading position in this field. In the planning of these installations, we were able to provide solid expertise based on our depth of experience in energy storage; also, this added considerable value to our energy optimization capabilities.”
