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June 28, 2018, by Renewable Energy World Editors
Arizona Public Service (APS) is looking to equip existing APS solar plants with battery storage and has issued an RFP to add up to 500 megawatts (MW) of energy storage to its system over the next 15 years via battery energy storage.
The utility said the batteries will bring more clean energy to APS customers when they need it most, by storing an abundance of mid-day solar and re-distributing it at peak times of customer usage later in the day.
APS’s customers receive clean energy produced by multiple grid-scale solar plants that APS operates as part of its AZ Sun program. The plants are located on sites across the state, including Gila Bend, Buckeye, Chino Valley, Hyder Valley, Yuma and Glendale. This RFP will allow APS to take these solar facilities to the next level by helping provide clean energy to customers at peak energy use times.
In this RFP solicitation, APS is seeking to equip these plants with a total of up to approximately 106 MW of battery storage. The requested capacity represents one of the largest battery storage projects in the country, according to APS, and once build will enable APS’s existing solar resources to help meet peak needs reliably with clean power, even when the sun is not shining.
APS’s system already includes more than one million installed solar panels, which collectively generate more than one gigawatt of clean energy. With three grid-scale batteries currently in operation, a partnership with First Solar for a 50-MW battery slated to come online in 2021, and the latest RFP, APS is finding new ways to integrate battery storage to get even more use out of its solar.
APS wants energy storage projects that can be in operation by June 2020. Information about proposal requirements and bidder registration will be available online Friday, June 29, at aps.com/rfp.
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