Leclanche to build 20 MW energy storage project in Chicago area
Leclanché SA, a global and vertically integrated battery energy storage solution company, said Nov. 1 that it has been selected by Swiss Green Electricity Management Group as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor and battery energy storage system supplier for the Marengo project in the PJM Interconnection market.
This latest project is the first for Leclanché in the United States following a project win in Canada earlier this year. In August 2016, Leclanché signed a preferred partnership agreement with Swiss Green Electricity Management Group, an independent owner and operator of energy storage assets. This partnership agreement for investments into utility-scale energy storage projects begins with the Marengo Energy Storage Plant in the U.S.
The Marengo 20 MW / 10 MWh grid-scale energy storage project is among the largest, fully commercial battery storage projects in North America. The Chicago-area project is being developed for the PJM market. It was developed by GlidePath Power, a leading developer of advanced energy solutions, which recently sold three similar projects in the United States.
The Marengo Energy Storage Plant will be interconnected to the Commonwealth Edison-owned electric grid and will provide real-time frequency regulation service to PJM. The storage facility will respond almost instantly to the continually changing needs of the grid, providing real-time frequency regulation and allowing PJM to deliver higher quality reliable electrical service at a lower cost to its end-users.
The increasing share of renewable energy in the electricity mix poses substantial challenges to grid stability, Leclanche noted. As a direct result, demand for frequency regulation is growing considerably. The smart deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) is the lowest-cost solution to support grid operators in their efforts to reduce and defer their investments into transmission and distribution infrastructure upgrades.
SGEM provides equity capital, leads project finance and supervises the construction and operation of energy storage infrastructure assets. It invests in energy storage projects on a build-own-operate model. Thanks to its partnership with Leclanché, SGEM enjoys the right of first offer for all qualified projects of the company which represent over 85 MWh for 2017.
“Next generation battery storage technology is creating a cleaner and more efficient electrical systems across the U.S.,” said Dan Foley, CEO and founder of GlidePath. “We are looking forward to working again with Leclanché as we focus on developing new projects that provide reliable electricity to the grid and end-users.”
