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Iowa is quickly becoming the state powered by wind, but the only problem is when the wind isn’t blowing.
Now, that problem is one step closer to a solution, as Berkshire Hathaway’s MidAmerican Energy is testing a commercial battery storage system with the capability of powering 900 homes for four hours.
The system is being built by Chicago-based Invenergy, one of the earliest pioneers in advanced energy storage and North America’s leading owner and operator of the transformative technology.
Invenergy specializes in large-scale advanced battery systems that instantaneously absorb and inject energy to help with grid management, while minimizing infrastructure costs. Large-scale batteries support grid reliability by regulating frequency and balancing variations in wind and solar production.
The lithium-iron phosphate system is planned to be in service by the end of December, and will be housed at a Knoxville, Iowa substation.
If the project is successful, it may see broader application storing power for MidAmerican’s thousands of wind turbines that are transforming Iowa into an alternative energy success story.
© 2018 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.