The U.S. wind energy industry had its strongest year ever in 2012, according to the Washington, DC-based American Wind Energy Association — installing a record 13,124 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity, leveraging $25 billion in private investment, and achieving over 60,000 MW of cumulative wind capacity. However, like other producers of intermittent energy, the wind turbine industry must find a cost-efficient means of back-up power storage to make this popular source of green energy a cost-effective market alternative. 

Now, Samsung (News - Alert) SDI, an affiliate of the South Korea-based Samsung Group, and Xtreme Power have been selected by the Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies (CCET) to install a 1-megawatt (MW)/1-megawatt hour (MWh) lithium ion (Li-ion)-based battery energy storage system (BESS) system at the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock, Texas as part of a smart grid demonstration project (SGDP).

The $27 million project has been jointly funded by CCET partners and the US Department of Energy. The SGDP is known as Discovery Across Texas–Technology Solutions for Wind Integration in ERCOT. ERCOT—the Electric Reliability Council of Texas— operates the electric grid and manages the deregulated market for 75 percent of the state. The BESS will be owned and operated by South Plains Electric Cooperative (SPEC) as one of several project technologies to serve the SGDP objectives of grid-tied wind integration.

The Samsung SDI and Xtreme Power BESS will be connected to SPEC’s distribution grid at the Reese Technology Center as part of an ongoing wind technology program managed by Group NIRE—a Lubbock, Texas-based clean energy development company that provides project development, finance and consulting services– and Texas Tech University. The BESS will focus on combing utility scale energy storage with wind generation.

Potential uses for the BESS include:

• Mitigating intermittent fluctuations of a number of nearby wind turbines,
• Regulating the distribution bus voltage,
• Serving as spinning reserve, and
• Providing frequency support during the loss of generation.

The project marks the first order for the newly formed Samsung SDI/Xtreme Power alliance. Coupling Samsung SDI’s Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO) battery with Xtreme Power’s Xtreme Active Control Technology (XACT) the two firms have partnered to create an energy storage solution for renewable integration and grid support.

Samsung SDI is the supplier of lithium ion batteries—producing over 1B billion cells annually. The LMO battery provides safety, quality, high energy densities, and cost-competitiveness. The same battery is being used by leading automakers in the United States and Europe in their electric vehicles. This technology, together with XACT’s millisecond response time, will enable renewable generation to attain higher levels of penetration on the grid, as well as supply ideal grid support services—such as frequency response, voltage support and ramp rate control. Xtreme Power and Samsung SDI will focus on key markets seeking to realize ambitious renewable goals and promote a cleaner electric grid.

"Taking part in the CCET project gave us yet another chance to demonstrate our expertise in matching power storage with renewable power generation, which is vital for realizing our green energy future. We are honored to work with Samsung SDI to bring a reliable, efficient, and cost-friendly solution to the energy storage and power management market,” said Alan Gotcher, CEO of Xtreme Power. “Our XACT control platform, which can be integrated with the full range of battery technologies, will break new ground in the industry when paired with Samsung’s unique technology.”

Xtreme Power’s XACT platform offers high power output within 50 milliseconds accurately and precisely without infringing upon safety protocols. This exclusive venture will enable Xtreme Power and Samsung SDI to offer a versatile product capable of not only enhancing the value of renewable generation, but also of increasing the reliability of the electric grid.

“We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the CCET BESS project to demonstrate the value of integrating energy storage with renewables. Also, the strong combination of Samsung SDI and Xtreme Power will provide customers with solutions meeting their unique needs in energy storage backed by significant experience and capabilities in lithium ion batteries and system integration,” said Y.C. Yoon, EVP and head of Energy Solutions of Samsung SDI.