Dominion Energy says it has begun operations at its largest operational battery energy storage pilot project in Virginia, Kallanish reports.

Three independent battery systems totalling 12 megawatts were installed at the Scott solar facility in Powhatan County, Virginia, the company says. Those systems will provide valuable information on the proficiency of battery technology to store energy generated from solar panels during periods of high production and release energy during periods when load is high or solar generation is low. It would also reveal how well a battery can optimize power production of the solar facility.

The company has two other battery storage pilot projects in its portfolio: a 2 MW battery in New Kent County that was commissioned in late February and a 2 MW battery in Hanover County that is scheduled to become operational later this year. All three projects were approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) in February 2020.

The three utility-scale battery storage pilot projects are the first of their kind in Virginia. Dominion Energy is using lithium-ion batteries to better understand how this technology can be integrated into various applications to benefit our customers.

"Battery storage is an integral component to the clean energy transition in Virginia, supporting grid reliability for our customers during periods of high demand and by helping to fill gaps due to the inherent intermittency of solar and wind power," says Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia. "These battery systems will help us better understand how best to deploy utility scale batteries across our service territory to support our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050."

Dominion Energy has also received regulatory approval from the Virginia SCC for a 20 MW Dry Bridge storage in Chesterfield County and 50 megawatts of storage at Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County.