Solar Grid Storage has been awarded U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative Incubator funding of $968,120 aimed at streamlining solar storage interactivity with the grid and accelerating deployment of innovative solar storage systems. Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz announced the latest round of SunShot Incubator awards during his keynote address at Solar Power International 2014 in Las Vegas.
With this grant, Solar Grid Storage will develop a Solar Storage Operations Center (SSOC) to address the unique needs of managing grid-connected PV storage assets. The SSOC will make it possible to bring together multiple storage sites and enhance grid stability with every new PV storage resource installed, all the while reducing deployment costs. A scalable solution, the SSOC will help mitigate concerns about high-penetration PV deployment by enabling cost-effective control of residential, commercial and utility-scale PV storage systems.
“We are honored that Solar Grid Storage has been selected by the Energy Department’s SunShot Incubator program for this award,” says Solar Grid Storage CFO Dan Dobbs. “We’re focused on taking the solar industry to the next level, which requires cost-effective addition of energy storage. With the award, we will be able to aggregate various-sized storage systems into larger virtual-energy assets, making the assets much more valuable for grid operators who call on them to balance power on the grid.”
The company’s offering and business model incorporates batteries into commercial PV installations while lowering costs and introducing new benefits. With the SSOC, Solar Grid Storage will group residential PV storage systems with its commercial and utility-scale systems so they too can participate in ancillary service markets, earning new revenues to make the overall system even more cost-effective. Furthermore, with added batteries the PV systems will work during power outages, something existing PV systems cannot do.
“We appreciate the administration’s focus on strengthening and ensuring our nation’s electricity supply, especially as we witness an increase in extreme weather events,” says Solar Grid Storage CEO Tom Leyden. “Providing reliable backup electricity during power interruptions is crucial to emergency operations at hospitals, schools, first-responder facilities and shelters. PV storage systems will provide emergency power when needed, and ongoing resiliency to help operators maintain balance on the grid.”
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