Energy oasis [vanadium redox battery system in power distribution application]

As electrical demand on the power distribution circuit in South-Eastern Utah has increased, the utility has been forced to find a way to increase load, and improve reliability and power quality. The utility, PacifiCorp, finally decided that an energy storage technology would make the most attractive solution. This article describes the installation, which is an electrical energy storage system containing a vanadium based, redox regenerative fuel cell, with a proton exchange membrane. The system´s actual response and state-of-charge curves have correlated well with predictions. The current system is capable of delivering 350 kVA and has a capacity of 15,500 Ah or 2.3 MWh, which exceeds initial specifications.