Largest Utility Energy Storage Purchase in History Announced in California

Southern California Edison has announced the selected suppliers and projects for the largest grid-connected energy storage purchase in U.S. history – more than five times greater than the utility's minimum energy storage procurement authorization of 50 MW, per California Public Utilities Commission ruling. Pending approval of the projects by the CPUC, SCE will purchase 261 MW of energy storage resources.

The California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), a membership-based advocacy group committed to advancing the role of energy storage in the electric power sector, hailed the decision as another significant step in the commercialization of storage on the power grid.

This procurement effort also marks the first time SCE has contracted with energy storage projects through a competitive solicitation. Once deployed, the systems will provide a number of services to SCE's power grid, including ensuring adequate available electrical capacity to meet peak demand.

The companies named to provide storage systems and the amounts are:

• NRG Energy                                         0.5 MW
• Ice Energy Holdings, Inc.                    25.6 MW
• Advanced Microgrid Solutions            50.0 MW
• Stem                                                   85.0 MW
• AES Energy Storage                             100.0 MW