RES Canada Announces Completion of Energy Storage System

MONTREAL, Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES Canada), a leader in the development and construction of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects in North America, is pleased to announce final certification of the company's second energy storage system, Amphora.

RES Canada conceived, developed, and constructed the energy storage system, which it will own and operate. Located in Central Strathroy, west of London, Ontario, the system is comprised of a +/-4 megawatt (MW) (8MW total range)/ 2.6MWh lithium battery that will provide a service called "frequency regulation" to Ontario's grid operator, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). Amphora will operate under a three year agreement with the IESO and the facility has a lifespan of more than 10 years.  The site was provided by Entegrus, a utility providing electricity, renewable energy, and water supply to more than 40,000 customers in Southwestern Ontario.

Amphora was developed in response to a request for proposal issued by the IESO, through which it sought to procure up to 10MW of regulation from alternative sources such as dispatchable loads, aggregated demand response, and storage technologies, including batteries and flywheels. The energy storage system will allow the IESO to acquire experience with battery technology. Unique operating characteristics at the facility enable it to contribute to Ontario's energy needs in a variety of ways while complementing the performance of existing generators.

The project utilizes lithium iron phosphate, an inherently safe variant of lithium battery chemistry, and consists of two containers that house batteries weighing approximately 20 tons each, as well as a third container that converts the direct current (DC) output to alternating current (AC) for the grid. The equipment was supplied by BYD America.

"RES Canada is pleased to bring our first Ontario energy storage project online," said Peter Clibbon, Senior Vice President, RES Canada. "We believe investments in developing energy storage infrastructure are critical to improving the flexibility and efficiency of an increasingly complex grid system."

"BYD is proud to work with RES Americas on this important project and appreciates their visionary leadership in the energy industry," said Micheal Austin, Vice President of BYD America. "We share a common vision of a low-carbon electric grid that is enabled and balanced by battery energy storage."

"Alternative technologies on the power grid are gaining momentum," said Bruce Campbell, President and CEO, IESO. "This is the first grid-connected battery on the IESO's system and the experience we gain will help demonstrate how this technology can help us balance power flows, and ultimately maintain reliability." 

The global market for energy storage is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. Navigant Research estimates that worldwide revenue from advanced batteries for utility-scale energy storage applications will grow from $164 million in 2014 to more than $2.5 billion in 2023. Frequency regulation represents a small fraction of the numerous services that energy storage can provide to the grid.

The Amphora project is named after an ancient type of vessel, one of mankind's oldest known storage technologies. RES Canada's affiliate, RES Americas, delivered the company's first 4MW system in March 2014 in Sunbury, Ohio for the grid operator PJM.

About RES Canada
Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES Canada) is based in Montréal, Québec, and is engaged in the development and construction of renewable energy projects across Canada. The company offers a full suite of development and construction services for wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects and has constructed or has under construction over 700MW. RES Canada is part of the RES Group, a leading international renewable energy developer, and is an affiliate of RES Americas.

About BYD
BYD specializes in electrified public transportation, environmentally-friendly energy storage, affordable solar power and information technologies.  As the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, their mission to create safer and more environmentally friendly battery technologies has led to the development of the BYD Iron Phosphate chemistry. This fire-safe, completely recyclable and incredibly long-cycle technology has become the core of their clean energy platform that has expanded into automobiles, buses, trucks, utility vehicles and energy storage facilities. For more information, please visit www.byd.com or www.facebook.com/bydcompany.

Media Contacts
Anna Giovinetto
303.439.4225
[email protected]

Peter Clibbon
(514) 525-2113
[email protected]

SOURCE Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc.