Troy-based LG Chem Power Inc., a supplier of lithium-ion battery technology, has completed installation of the largest battery storage research project at a solar farm in Georgia.
Located in Cedartown, northwest of Atlanta, the new research project will test and evaluate a 1-megawatt/2-megawatt-hour battery storage system using lithium-ion battery technology — similar to the battery chemistry in electric vehicles and many of today’s consumer electronics.
The nonprofit organization Electric Power Research Institute commissioned the project to conduct research relating to electricity generation, environmental responsibility, and electricity use. Southern Co., a utility holding company, also commissioned the one-megawatt/two megawatt-hour battery energy storage system.
“This project is strategically important to LG Chem due to the role the Electric Power Research Institute plays in the utility industry, as well as the impact Southern Co. has as one of the major energy companies in the United States,” says Sunghoon Jang, senior vice president of energy solutions at LG Chem.
Jang says the energy storage system is installed in the service territory of Georgia Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Co., at a solar farm in Cedartown. The project will assess the technology’s ability to support multiple applications, including voltage support and peak shaving (the process of reducing the amount of energy purchased from the utility company during peak hours when the charges are highest).
Jang says LG Chem will supply the batteries and power conversion equipment, install batteries, and provide maintenance and operations. The Electric Power Research Institute will analyze data to see how well the battery energy storage system works to discharge energy from the solar farm.
