Utility Scale Storage Battery Investments

The concept of storage batteries is not new to the electric power industry. However, the universal application of utility scale storage batteries as an integral component of the U.S. electric power industry transmission and distribution systems is quite new. Currently, the battery technology is on advancement trajectory with the expectation of higher energy density and lower cost. As a result, the U.S. regulators and public utility commissioners are mandating use of storage batteries and the electric utilities are gradually learning how to integrate storage batteries in their power grids. In parallel, the investment and finance communities do realize the potential growth of storage battery market. However, they have difficulty in making the economic case for such investments.

Arguably, the application of utility scale storage batteries is in its infancy. However, it has the potential to become an integral component of modern power grids thus creating huge investment opportunities for the utilities and private investors and even end-users.

The integration of a large number of intermittent and non-dispatchable renewable resources such as wind and solar power plants have created situations which are referred to as “Over- Generation”. That is, there is excess generation which cannot be used locally and due to lack of transmission capacity cannot be transferred to areas where load centers are located. In addition, rapid drop of generation during early afternoon as the solar plants reduce output has created a severe need for ramping capability. Further, the power production from wind and solar resources are not always coincident with demand. Therefore, the emerging power grids have a natural need for storing energy.

Storage technologies range from traditional pumped storage plants to the latest electro-chemical storage batteries and ultra-capacitors. The key storage battery attributes include high speed of response, controllability, modularity, scalability, expandability, flexibility and transportability. These are exactly the kind of attributes that the emerging power industry will need over the foreseeable future. In addition, recent advancements in material sciences include increases in energy density, reduction in size and space requirements and defect free battery manufacturing are expected to create viable economics for storage batteries. Further, advancements are being made in monitoring storage battery conditions, power electronics devices and controls, and smart bi-directional inverters. In an aggregate, advancement in storage battery technology and downward prices will create a very unique and natural position for storage batteries. Storage battery technology is therefore realistic, timely and achievable and can be made cost effective, thus becoming the obvious choice for storing energy for a stable electric and resilient power grid.

Similar to other new technologies there are challenges. The key challenge is creation of a compelling economic argument for battery storage.  The economic argument and value proposition are challenged by the following:

1. Cost of battery cells
2. Cost of interconnection
3. Cost of network upgrade and balance of the system
4. Life expectancy, number of charge cycles
5. Operation and maintenance costs
6. The revenue stream – Power purchase agreements or PPAs

This seminar provides an overview and guided tour of proven battery technologies from different manufacturers, challenges of interconnection, investment requirements, typical storage battery power purchase agreements, settlement equations and investment guidelines. The seminar materials provide valuable information on a full spectrum of applications for utilities, regulatory agencies, project developers, private investors, finance firms, wholesale market participants, and owners of existing wind and solar power plants.

Attendees will be provided with a copy of the presentations and other reference materials

This seminar concentrates both on technical issues and finance issues. An electrical engineering degree is not required to attend this seminar.

Learning Outcomes

Attendees will gain hands-on and practical skills in the following areas:

• The 21^st century electric power grid
• The emerging role of storage batteries
• Storage battery applications in solving electric utility issues
• Applications of storage batteries for renewable resources
• Overview of battery technologies by different manufacturers
• Storage battery costs
• Storage battery study process
• Electric utility performance requirements
• Investments in utility scale storage plants
• Storage battery power purchase agreements (PPA)
• Criteria in storage battery RFOs
• Storage battery interconnection process

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 1.0 CEUs for this event.

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must sign in/out each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the conference to be eligible for continuing education credit.

 Instructional Methods

PowerPoint presentations will be used in this event.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

8:30 – 9:30 a.m. :: Registration, Continental Breakfast and Welcome

9:00 – 9:45 a.m. :: Emerging Role of Utility Scale Storage Batteries

This presentation provides a perspective on the 21^st Century electric utility and the emerging role of storage batteries in the electric power industry. Industry trends, regulatory trends, challenges, general characteristics of the power grid and the key success factors in development of new storage battery power plants will be reviewed. The discussion topics include:

• 21^st Century electric power grid
• Industry need and requirement for storing energy
• Storage battery characteristics
• Storage battery technology trends
• Emerging Role of storage battery power plants
• Storage battery market segments
• Storage battery market outlook
• Regulatory trends
• Utility procurements
• Challenges to overcome
• Key success factors in developing storage battery projects

Dr. Eddie Dehdashti, Principal, Power Applications and Research Systems, Inc.

9:45 – 10:45 a.m. :: Tesla Energy Products  

Tesla Energy Products is a division of Tesla and is an active player in stationary storage markets. Tesla has already deployed over 300MWh of capacity from residential to utility-large scale systems. With the Powerwall and the Powerpack, Tesla can offer various system sizes and capabilities. Tesla manufactures its energy product at its Gigafactory, in Reno Nevada.

• Tesla Energy Products overview
• Powerpack system overview
• Product design and advantages
• Key applications
• Economics and value propositions

Maud Texier, Senior Product Manager, Tesla Energy – Palto Alto, California

10:45 – 11:00 a.m. :: Morning Break

11:00  a.m. – 12.00 p.m. :: Tokyo Electric Power Company

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is a Japanese utility. However, it has designed and developed its very own batteries which can withstand up to 4,500 charge/discharge cycles. TEPCO is involved in the installation of a number storage projects in the U.S. and elsewhere. This presentation provides an overview of TEPCO’s perspective storage battery monitoring system and on utility scale energy storage power plant design and implementation. The discussion topics include:

• Utility scale storage battery operation
• TEPCO’s battery design philosophy
• General configuration and characteristics
• Technology challenges
• Number of charge/discharge cycles
• Life expectancy
• Utility justifications
• Utility scale storage battery project interests

Mitsuaki Yasuoka, Manager, TEPCO U.S.

Yoichiro Tashiro, Manager, Energy Storage Group, TEPCO Research Institute- Tokyo Japan

12.00 – 1.00 p.m. :: Group Luncheon

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. :: LG Chem Energy Storage

LG Chem Ltd. is one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturers with significant market share in consumer, automotive and stationary applications. The LG Chem Energy Solution division engineers and delivers energy storage systems for utility, C&I and residential applications. LG Chem Ltd. is a globally diversified chemical company that operates three main business units: Petrochemicals, IT & Electronic Materials, and Energy Solution. The company manufactures a wide range of products, from petrochemical goods to high-value added plastics, and extends its chemical expertise into high-tech areas such as electronic materials and rechargeable batteries. The discussion topics include:

• Product overview
• Market perspectives
• System deployments
• Lessons learned

Kevin Fok, Senior Project Manager, LG Chem- Troy, Michigan

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. :: Powin Energy

Powin Energy is a U.S. energy storage technology company. It builds energy storage systems using its own proprietary monitoring and control technology. Powin builds energy storage systems per customer requirements using commercially available batteries per specific performance requirements of its customers. This presentation provides an overview of Powin’s perspective on implementation of the utility scale energy storage power plants. The discussion topics include:

• Design philosophy
• Technology challenges
• Monitoring and control
• Utility scale project customization
• Key technical advantages
• Cost advantages

Virgil Beaston, Chief Technology Officer- Powin Energy-Portland, Oregon Representative

3:00 – 3:15 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

3:15 – 4:15 p.m. :: NEC Energy Solutions 

NEC Energy Solutions is a subsidiary of NEC Corporation of Japan and manufactures complete utility storage solutions. NEC Energy Solutions has built a number of utility scale storage plants worldwide. This presentation provides an overview and perspective on NEC Energy’s utility scale energy storage power plant design philosophy and implementation. The discussion topics include:

• Design philosophy
• Utility scale installations
• Implementation requirements
• Key advantages
• Expected costs

Bud Collins, CEO, NEC Energy Solutions, Westborough, Massachusetts

4:15 – 5:15 p.m. :: ViZn Energy

Vizn Battery is a U.S. company with its own proprietary technology with specific advantages for large scale storage system located in front of the meter and at the grid edge. ViZn’s versatile 20-year batteries are equally adept at delivering long duration energy services and short duration power services from a single platform. This presentation provides an overview of Vizn’s perspective on utility scale storage battery investments. The discussion topics include:

• Vizn’s Design philosophy
• Utility scale use cases
• Implementation requirements
• Key advantages and comparisons
• Expected investment costs
• Operation and maintenance costs

Michael Grunow, Vice President of Marketing, ViZn Energy, Inc.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. :: Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. :: Wholesale and Retail Market Design for Cost Effective Deployment of Storage

The investment and regulatory communities are both struggling with cost effective deployment of storage batteries. Regulatory agencies are attempting to provide incentives for investment in these technologies while controlling the ultimate cost to the rate payers. This is not a trivial undertaking. Unlike wind and solar power plants storage batteries act both as load and generation and have complex economics model. Degradation is performance of storage batteries further complicates the revenue stream of a storage battery investment. The discussion topics include:

• Retail Market Design Issues
• Energy and Ancillary Services Market Design Issues
• Compensation for ancillary services
• Compensation for energy
• Providing Incentives for Efficient Location Decisions
• Pricing Responsiveness and Flexibility of Storage Technologies

Professor Frank Wolak, Department of Economics, Stanford University, Stanford, California

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. :: General Electric

Combining solar and wind projects can create added benefits and is expected to become a trend. General Electric Company has developed a unique combined storage battery and gas turbine with unique characteristics. The Southern California Edison is due to receive an installation soon.  This presentation discusses various components of PG&E’s storage battery PPA.  The discussion topics include:

• Benefits of combining Storage with other resources
• Flexibility and benefits
• Coordinated operation
• Interconnection challenges
• Economics and value proposition

Joe Heinzmann, Account Manager, General Electric

11:00 – 11:15  a.m. :: Morning Break

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: PARS Energy Summary and Concluding remarks

This talk provides a summary and conclusions and the intended transfer of knowledge on storage batteries for this Seminar.  The discussion topics include:

• Role of storage batteries in future power grids
• Emerging storage battery markets
• Storage battery market segments
•  Summary
•  Conclusions
• Closing Remarks

Dr. Eddie Dehdashti, Principal, Power Applications and Research Systems, Inc.

12:00 p.m. :: Conference Adjourns

Virgil Beaston, Chief Technology Officer,  Powin Energy

Bud Collins, CEO, NEC Energy

Dr. Eddie Dehdashti, Principal, Power Applications and Research Systems, Inc.

Kevin Fok, Senior Project Manager, LG Chemicals. Troy Michigan

Marie Fontenot, Manager, Competitive Solicitations, PG&E Energy Policy and Procurements

Michael Grunow, Vice President of Marketing, ViZn Energy, Inc.

Joe Heinzmann, Account Manager, General Electric

Maud Texier, Senior Product Manager, Tesla Energy

Christina Yagjian, Principal, Renewable Transactions, PG&E Energy Policy and Procurements

Mitsuaki Yasuoka, Manager, TEPCO U.S.

San Francisco Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf
1250 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133

To reserve your room, please call 1-415-775-7555
Please indicate that you are with the EUCI group to receive the group rate.

You can use this link to book online

http://www.marriott.com/meeting-event-hotels/group-corporate-travel/groupCorp.mi?resLinkData=EUCI%20Meeting%5Esfofw%60EUCEUCA%7CEUCEUCB%60219%60USD%60false%604%602/6/17%602/8/17%601/9/17&app=resvlink&stop_mobi=yes

 

Room Rate:

The room rate is $219.00 single or double plus applicable taxes.

Room Block Dates:

A room block has been reserved for the nights of February 6 – 7, 2017.

Rate Available Until:

Make your reservations prior to January 16, 2017. There are a limited number of rooms available at the conference rate. Please make your reservations early.

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Utility Scale Storage Battery Investments

February 7, 2017 | San Francisco,CA

Buy 4 in-person seats and only pay for 3! For this event every fourth in-person attendee is free!

Sponsors