NWA Smart Solar and Storage to Increase Grid Reliability in New York
Convergent EP and National Grid have completed one of the first solar-combined storage systems offering a non-wires alternative (NWA). The system was created to provide customers with electricity that is both cost-effective and sustainable while harnessing solar energy during off-peak periods to boost New York’s grid capacity.
Convergent EP of the United States and National Grid US has announced the new collaboration. Convergent EP is responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the NWA system.
An NWA eliminates the requirement to build distribution and transmission system components. Battery storage is a type of NWA that allows utilities to improve grid capacity by filling the batteries when there is minimal demand and releasing energy when demand starts exceeding supply.
National Grid chose Convergent through a competitive bidding process to boost output at its Pine Grove facility. The goal is to enhance the advantages and benefits to customers, as well as the amount of solar electricity on the system.
On busy days, National Grid will reportedly use the technology to serve consumers served by the facility. On the other hand, during off-peak hours, convergent will engage in the market to deliver green energy to National Grid consumers.
The construction-to-term funding for the project was supplied by NY Green Bank, a part of NYSERDA. NYSERDA has also contributed roughly $2.3 million to the construction under its NY-Sun Program, the state’s $1.8 billion commitment to accelerate solar scale-up while keeping prices low and making clean electricity more accessible to the public.
According to David Sandbank, vice president of NYSERDA, private-public partnerships are at the heart of the state’s initiatives to speed the development of the distribution of these essential energy resources. The overall goal is to deliver the benefits of renewable energy into more households and workplaces while also giving utility-wide grid improvements.
