Invenergy starts up 31.5-MW energy storage system in Illinois

US clean energy company Invenergy LLC said Thursday its 31.5-MW Grand Ridge energy storage project in Illinois has started commercial operations.

The project is located at the company's Grand Ridge energy centre in La Salle County and provides fast-response regulation service to the market operated by regional transmission organisation PJM. The energy centre consists of a 210-MW wind farm, a 20-MW solar installation and an existing 1.5-MW energy storage system.

Invenergy currently has over 100 MW of energy storage projects in operation, construction or development in the US. It plans to put onstream the 31.5-MW Beech Ridge energy storage project in West Virginia later this year. Both the Grand Ridge and Beech Ridge storage facilities use the battery technology of BYD America, a unit of Chinese rechargeable batteries maker BYD Co Ltd.

"Invenergy believes that energy storage holds the potential to be a transformative force in the evolution of the electric grid," said Kris Zadlo of the Chicago-based company.

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