Xcel Energy Unveils Promising Findings from Wind-to-Battery Technology Project

Xcel Energy has released promising findings of its wind-to-battery storage technology project. The utility industry is faced with an ongoing issue of integrating the variable production of solar power and wind power along with the power grid’s needs.

The Renewable Development Fund of Xcel Energy awarded this project a grant of $1 million. The company began this project in 2008 by testing a 1-MW battery-storage technology for demonstrating its wind energy storage capability along with moving it towards the electricity grid at the required time. For the storage of wind energy in a direct manner, this technology is the first of its kind in the U.S.

Results indicate that this particular technology might be appropriate for solar energy as well. Testing will continue for determining this technology’s ability for facilitating the integration of larger wind energy penetrations on the grid. The second phase of this study will be assessing the value of different battery system functions while simultaneously determining this technology’s potential cost effectiveness.

This project, being carried out in the location of Luverne, Minnesota has its battery installation connected to an 11-MW wind farm belonging to Minwind Energy. Overall, the 20 units of 50-kW battery modules weighing around 80 tons have the capability of storing electricity to the extent of around 7.2 MWh with a 1-MW charge/discharge capacity. When fully charged, this battery would have the ability for powering 500 homes for over 7 hours.