Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Irvine Water District Installs Tesla Battery Storage System

The nation's largest energy storage system being used for on-site power has been installed in Irvine, according to the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD), which said this week that it has installed a 2.5MW/15MWh energy storage system at its water recycling plant in Orange County. According to the IRWD, the project--which was funded by Macquarie Capital--allows the district to buy and store electricity when costs are high, and later use that power during peak hours when the cost of electricity from the grid is high. The water district is using battery storage from Tesla in the installation. The Irvine Ranch Water District did not say how much it spent on those systems and installation and design, but says it will save approximately $500,000 in energy costs each year. The IRWD says its project is the biggest "behind the meter" project installed nationwide.