Advancing Resilient Energy Storage
Pacific Power launched its own Community Resiliency Pilot in 2019 as a disaster preparedness and emergency management effort . The utility ’ s Behind the Meter ( BTM ) storage pilot aims to serve Pacific Northwest communities facing the threat of wildfire and readying in anticipation of a possible major earthquake in Oregon . The pilot ’ s goals include supporting mostly remote , critical facilities by evaluating :
■ Back-up power for long-term outages , up to two weeks ;
■ Reduced energy costs and carbon footprint ; and
■ Increased grid flexibility to accommodate changes in electrification-based loads , electric vehicle adoption , and summer air conditioning usage , among others .
Through the Community Resiliency Pilot , Pacific Power seeks to identify concrete technologies , costs , benefits , and use cases to support the utility ’ s storage objectives . TRC first developed technical , standardized criteria which Pacific Power used to identify potential storage projects across its territory . The criteria gave the utility a basis for efficient evaluation and the option to easily scale projects over time . Deep feasibility and benefits analysis are being conducted at eight target project sites across Oregon to identify specific requirements to enable BTM storage systems to support two week-long outages . Sites included fire stations , community centers , and other critical facilities which are committed to staying open and providing community support as part of local emergency plans .
“ Amid the global pandemic we continue to see an animated marketplace for new energy technologies , including a diversity of storage solutions , driven by investments across the meter and which support measures to decarbonization the power grid . The speed and scale of new technology adoption has had its share of technical and economic challenges . We work closely with our utility , developer , and systems integration partners to ensure that all critical issues are identified , and that sound engineering , protection and controls are designed and engineered into the foundation of each project . For us , achieving success in sustainability is about ensuring that the design-intent of every project is carefully carried out and results in a safe , secure , and high-performing energy solution .” Mark Evlyn , Associate Director , Advanced Energy
16 2020 Sustainability Report