APS testing massive battery for energy storage

storage system the size of a shipping container that can generate the equivalent power output of 1,200 hybrid cars or 300,000 cell phone batteries. The two-year battery pilot will study how to decrease equipment stress during high demand and how to provide solar energy after dark.

APS is testing an energy storage system at an electrical distribution substation in Flagstaff, Arizona. View the full-size image.

The pilot is occurring in two parts. The first part sees the Electrovaya energy storage system residing in an electrical distribution substation. The second part will move the system to support a neighborhood-scale solar power plant.

"The steadier flow of electricity on peak days could keep our equipment healthy for longer periods, so we can improve reliability and keep maintenance costs down," said APS Energy Storage Project Manager Joe Wilhelm. "In the future, if a piece of equipment fails and causes an outage, we could also dispatch energy from storage units temporarily until repairs were made."