SnoPUD’s Battery Energy Storage and Microgrid Projects
Date: January 4, 2023
Speakers:
Scott Gibson: Manager – Energy Storage and Emerging Technology
Alex Chorey: Principal Engineer – Energy Storage and Emerging Technology
Jessica Spahr: Program Manager – Energy Storage and Emerging Technology
Abstract:
Snohomish County PUD – the electric utility for Snohomish County and Camano Island – recently created a new department which will focus on clean energy technologies to help prepare for the future. The new department is called Energy Storage and Emerging Technologies and is just 10 months old. Our first big projects will be the state’s largest battery energy storage system – a 25MW/100MWh lithium-ion battery located in Arlington, Washington -and – a microgrid with the Tulalip Tribes which will utilize solar and lithium Ion battery storage. These new systems are needed to provide carbon-free generation capacity to meet load growth due to electrification of buildings and transportation, an ever-increasing population, colder winters, and hotter summers. We use to add generation and/or capacity with gas fired peaking plants -but- the Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act – CETA – is requiring that Washington electric utilities be 100% carbon free by 2045. So all new generation must be carbon free. During the past 10 years the PUD has constructed and operated a 2MW lithium-ion battery storage system, a 2MW vanadium flow battery and a microgrid that included stationary and mobile energy storage (V2G – Vehicle-to-grid) . We will talk about the journey of the past 10 years and how that is enabling us to be ready for the future and some of the challenges that we see are ahead of us. There are still some technical challenges but there are also many challenges associated with cost, permit, zoning, safety as well as public acceptance and communications – not to mention – workforce.
Attendance was standing room only with about 30 Industry members and 40 Students.
