This week, Middle River Power (MRP) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) celebrated the installation of a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Hanford Hybrid Energy Center. The project leverages existing and incremental interconnection capacity and developed land to add a new resource that will help balance California’s abundant renewable energy sources while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the legacy facility. The storage system will reduce emissions from the center by reducing the run-time of the existing natural gas reliability facility during times of high energy demand using stored excess renewable energy.
SVCE, a community choice energy provider that supplies clean electricity to 280,000 residents and businesses in Santa Clara County, is receiving 131.4-megawatt hours (MWhs) of storage capacity from the BESS under a 12-year contract. “This is a significant step in our strategic endeavors to drive the energy transition,” said Graham Baldwin, Middle River Power’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations. “We are excited to partner with SVCE with our Hanford hybrid energy project.”
The Hanford Energy Center was built in 2001 and has operated as a gas peaker plant providing power to the grid during peak and critical demand. The facility is typically called on from 4 – 9 p.m. when solar power declines and energy demand increases. With the BESS installation, the center is now a hybrid facility, utilizing state of the art lithium-ion phosphate battery storage co-located with the plant. The battery system meets all nationally-recognized safety standards. The batteries charge from the grid when there is abundant, clean solar energy available, and will be called on to discharge first, before the gas facility, during critical grid hours. The charged energy held in the battery decreases the dependence of the gas plant, reducing the amount of emissions associated with the facility over time, while maintaining reliability.
“SVCE is working to advance solutions to achieve the state’s clean energy goals,” said Monica Padilla, SVCE CEO. “This transition requires us to think innovatively about how we can maintain a stable, reliable energy supply while new, clean capacity is built. The Hanford Hybrid Energy Center is an opportunity for us to continue to contribute towards meeting the grid’s reliability needs while still working towards our greater mission of providing 100% carbon-free energy and reducing overall emissions.”
At the ribbon cutting event, Congressman David Valadao presented the Hanford Hybrid Energy Center and SVCE with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for their innovative collaboration.