Arizona public power utility Salt River Project has issued a request for proposals for both inverter and non-inverter based long duration energy storage technologies for demonstration projects with a capacity of 5 megawatts to 50 MW and a duration of 10 hours, it said on June 26.
SRP seeks a non-lithium-ion inverter-based LDES technology with a target online date of no later than 2028. This resource will be located at the Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, Arizona, which will also host CMBlu Energy's “Desert Blume,” a 5 MW, 10-hour LDES project.
SRP is also seeking a non-lithium-ion, non-inverter based LDES technology as a pilot at its coal-fired Coronado Generating Station in St. Johns, Arizona, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2032. This RFP is part of SRP’s work to explore other resources to repurpose the site.
“We’re seeking proposals from emerging storage technologies to consider how they could support achieving SRP’s sustainable power system of the future,” said Chico Hunter, Manager of Innovation and Development at SRP. “We’re proud of SRP’s many lithium-ion battery storage projects coming online, and with the significant growth in our service territory, it is important we continue to pilot new types of energy storage technologies.”
SRP’s recent Integrated System Plan determined SRP will need to at least double power resource capacity from a wide range of technologies, including LDES, in the next decade to continue to provide affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to one of the fastest growing areas of the nation.
Through this RFP and pilot process, SRP aims to better understand the performance and costs associated with emerging non-lithium-ion LDES technologies, it said.
“This will support SRP’s ongoing planning efforts to prepare for the Valley’s rapidly evolving power system needs while prioritizing affordability, reliability and sustainability.”
RFP details can be found at srp.net/rfp.
A notice of intent to respond is due by July 10, 2024, and final responses will be collected until November 22, 2024.
