A 293 MWh hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery-based energy storage system (BESS) facility has become operational north of San Francisco, Calif. The Calistoga Resiliency Center, a joint project of Energy Vault Holdings Inc. and utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), is intended to serve as a backup microgrid for the region in the event of public safety power shutoff during wildfires or extreme weather events.
Capable of providing peak output of 8.5 MW to an isolated microgrid for approximately 1,600 PG&E customers in the City of Calistoga, the resiliency center has a zero-emissions profile in line with California’s renewable portfolio standard. Power is stored in Energy Vault’s B-VAULT lithium-ion BESS working with the company’s H-VAULT hydrogen fuel cell electricity generation system.
The Calistoga Resiliency Center is designed to provide fast-response power from a “black start” situation when normal grid power is interrupted. The management system enables independent operation with islanded grid-forming capabilities and monitoring.
Such microgrids help maintain essential services like fire stations, medical facilities, and grocery stores in the event of public power shutoff events. These microgrids can deliver to communities where the power lines are underground or outside weather-affected and high fire-threat areas.
Liquid hydrogen is stored in tanks onsite to provide multi-day power generation. The tanks can be refilled without interrupting service. The fuel cells recharge the site’s battery storage system so that customers receive electricity through the microgrid while the main grid is unavailable.
“This project is a major milestone in our mission to deliver sustainable, resilient energy solutions to communities most vulnerable to climate-driven grid disruptions,” said Craig Horne, senior vice president for at Energy Vault.
The project was funded in part by the recent close of $28 million in financing, which included sale of the associated Investment Tax Credit. Energy Vault owns the Calistoga Resiliency Center with PG&E serving as the distribution system operator under a long-term energy services agreement.
PG&E says it has deployed 13 distribution microgrids since 2021 to support communities affected by public safety power shutoffs, with Calistoga being the largest and first fully renewable system. The utility announced in March that it has committed up to $43 million to fund nine new community microgrids in California’s North Coast region.
In the wake of recent wildfire and weather-related public service shutoffs, California’s investor-owned utilities have been working to develop community microgrids to provide resiliency. Information on those efforts can be found here.
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