200MW/400MWh! Two Wärtsilä Battery Storage Projects in Texas Come Into Operation

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä said a few days ago that two grid-connected battery energy storage systems deployed by the company for Eolian in South Texas have achieved commercial operation, with a total installed capacity of 200MW.

Wärtsilä's battery storage system in South Texas

The two battery storage systems are the first in the U.S. to receive investment tax credit incentives provided by the Cutting Inflation Act, providing dispatchable resources to meet the Texas Electric Reliability Board's requirements, the company said. The need for flexibility in electricity markets. The energy storage systems are owned by Eolian, its global infrastructure partner investor.

The two battery energy storage systems will begin deployment in January 2021 and will enter the electricity market of the Texas Electric Reliability Commission through Eolian's dispatch.

With a duration of more than two hours, the two battery storage systems are the longest duration storage systems operating in this market. Wärtsilä stated that as a joint deployment of battery energy storage projects, the project is by far the world's largest fully commercialized energy storage project in terms of energy storage capacity.

A Wärtsilä spokesman said: "The exact storage capacity of the two battery storage systems is confidential. However, due to the duration of more than two hours, the energy storage capacity of the project will exceed 400MWh. The project is already in the running on the Texas grid and providing critical power supply during peak periods."

Risto Paldanius, Vice President Americas, Wärtsilä, said: “Texas needs more flexible capacity solutions, such as energy storage for grid support and energy resource optimization. This will help the state adapt to more frequent extreme weather events."

The battery storage projects will be managed using the GEMS digital energy platform, which monitors and controls the charging and discharging of the storage systems to provide continuous power during periods of grid instability. The battery storage project will also provide ancillary services such as fast frequency response and frequency regulation.