Florida public power utility OUC recently completed the installation of a 4-megawatt/8-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system in St. Cloud, Fla.
OUC and Ameresco on Oct.11 and Oct. 12 installed the battery energy storage system, which will be divided into two 2 MW systems onsite -- each comparable in size to a shipping container and weighing 75 tons apiece.
The battery system was installed using a crane at OUC’s St. Cloud Substation in Osceola County.
“The adoption of modern energy storage is essential to accelerate OUC’s path to net zero emissions,” said Attila Miszti, OUC Chief Operating Officer. “This project is a key investment to tackling the challenges of solar production intermittency.”
Expected to be fully operational by mid-January, the new battery storage systems will enable a more seamless and efficient integration of solar energy into OUC’s grid, the utility noted.
OUC’s Electric Integrated Resource Plan calls for ending the use of coal no later than 2027 and sets the utility on a course to reach Net Zero CO2 emissions by 2050, with interim target carbon reductions of 50% by 2030 and 75% by 2040.
