French battery manufacturer, Saft, has been awarded a contract to supply a lithium-ion battery system for use in a 12MW solar plant being built in Hawaii.
Eight of Saft’s containerised ‘Intensium Max 20 M’ li-ion units are to be installed in the Anahola project, which is currently being built by REC Solar on Kaua’i island, to ensure the stability of the local grid.
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative, which supplies power to the whole island, is looking to diversify its power supply, and the Anahola project forms part of that objective.
Saft said its storage system would be used to provide stability and mitigate issues caused by intermittent fluctuations common with renewable power sources such as solar.
“With other [battery storage] contracts in the works, this agreement is indicative of the expanding renewables market relying on Li-ion energy storage within island nations, and Saft’s leadership in enabling trusted storage solutions for solar integration,” said Blake Frye, vice president of sales and energy storage at Saft. “Saft looks forward to strengthening electric grid applications in the state of Hawaii and serving as a long-term, trusted partner.”
Deliveries for the contract are set to begin in October.
Hawaii is emerging as a leader in the deployment of energy storage at scale. Besides the Kaua’i, the Hawaiian Electric Company is looking to commission up to 200MW of storage capacity for the island of O’ahu.
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