Ayala-led power generation firm ACEN has switched on the country’s first hybrid solar and energy storage project in Alaminos, Laguna worth P2.2 billion.
The pilot 40 megawatts (MW) energy storage project will enable the company attract investments in the same technology of storing energy more effectively.
The energy storage facility which is adjacent to ACEN’s 120 MW Alaminos solar farm is composed of 24 battery containers with SAFT 2.5 MW hour lithium-ion batteries, enough to power about 20,000 homes and avoid 35.87 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The facility will help manage internal electricity demands; store electricity when the solar plant is generating power but demand is low; provide rapid power charging when the demand is high; and provide ancillary services to the national grid.
In a statement, Eric Francia, ACEN president and chief executive officer, said the company is looking to increase investments in battery storage “as the technology increases its viability and competitiveness.”
The Alaminos hybrid facility is located within Ayala Land’s carbon forest, a woodland reserve that acts as a carbon trap and home to biodiversity. A plastic recycling facility has also been integrated in the area.
ACEN currently has over 3,000 MW of attributable capacity across Asia Pacific, with 18,000 MW in its pipeline of renewables projects being developed organically and with its various partners across the region. – Jed Macapagal