Greensmith Energy and American Electric Power (AEP) have agreed to install a 4 MW energy storage system integrated with the Buck and Byllesby hydroelectric power plants in southwest Virginia, USA. The integration is perceived as world’s first hybridized system of its kind to provide ancillary services.
The system, due to begin operating in the Q1 2018, will deliver PJM frequency regulation market (PJM=Pennsylvania, Jersey, Maryland power pool) one of the first new energy storage systems since the adoption of new frequency regulation signals and requirements for regulation service. Harnessing Greensmith’s GEMS software platform that offers multiple storage applications, the project will serve both of PJM’s frequency regulation markets, including traditional regulation known as RegA and dynamic regulation known as RegD.
Expected to operate for 20 years, the programmable energy storage system running on the GEMS software platform can optimize participation between RegA and RegD signals based fluctuations in market values over time. Greensmith continues to invest in advancing energy storage, integration and software technology – all towards the future hybridization of the electricity grid.