Energy Vault Holdings Inc., a leader in sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, along with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, has officially announced the successful completion and commercialization of Calistoga Resiliency Center (CRC).
According to certain reports, CRC is a state-of-the-art hybrid microgrid energy storage facility which, located in Calistoga, California, is markedly designed to integrate advanced hydrogen fuel cells with lithium-ion batteries, thus providing a unique, fully sustainable solution for addressing power resiliency amidst the growing challenges of wildfire risk across California.
Talk about the whole value proposition on a slightly deeper level, we begin from how the stated facility would operate, at launch, a 293 megawatt hour (MWh) microgrid system capable of enabling the isolated Calistoga community microgrid to maintain power during these necessary safety shutoffs.
More on the same would reveal how the facility in question can provide at least 48 hours of continuous energy supply with a peak power output of 8.5 megawatts (MW) during PSPS events. Not just that, it also aligns with California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), while simultaneously meeting PG&E’s multi-day, long-duration energy storage requirements.
Next up, we must dig into how the underlying infrastructure is supported, to a great extent, by Energy Vault’s technology-agnostic VaultOS™ Energy Management System, which facilitates black-start, grid forming and coordinated performance orchestration across all subsystems, and at the same time, communicates with PG&E’s Distribution Control Center.
“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, Advanced Energy Solutions, Energy Vault. “The Calistoga Resiliency Center exemplifies the power of innovation and partnership, and it marks a significant step forward in the execution of our ‘Own & Operate’ strategy, which enables us to deliver long-term value through recurring revenue and community impact.”
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the fact that, when operating in island mode, the CRC is well-equipped to leverage hydrogen fuel cells for electricity generation.
After supporting black-start and grid forming requirements of the microgrid, Energy Vault’s B-VAULT™ DC battery technology also actively collaborate with the fuel cells to ensure instantaneous response and grid stability throughout operation. Not just that, with liquid hydrogen coming into play, the facility also treads up a long distance to extend run time through delivery and transfer into the onsite storage tank without interrupting power supply to the City of Calistoga.
Moving forward, CRC will further serve as a model for Energy Vault’s future utility-scale hybrid microgrid system deployments, emerging as the only existing zero-emission solution, to address PSPS events, which is scalable, bankable, and ready to be deployed across California and other regions that are prone to wildfires, as well as locations where improved grid-resiliency is needed.
The development in question also delivers a rather interesting follow-up to the project’s recent close of $28 million in financing, spanning completed sale of the Investment Tax Credit associated with the project.
As for what makes PG&E’s an idea partner for such an effort, the answer resides in its track record of deploying 13 distribution microgrids since 2021, meant to support communities affected by Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), with Calistoga being its largest and first fully renewable system. These microgrids, for better understanding, can keep communities and essential services, like fire stations, medical facilities, and grocery stores, fully and seamlessly powered during outages.
Not just that, they can also power areas where the power lines are underground, or outside of high fire-threat areas or a PSPS weather footprint.
“PG&E is committed to continually delivering innovations that enhance electric system safety and reliability while driving costs down for our customers,” said Mike Delaney, Vice President, Utility Partnerships and Innovation, PG&E. “The Calistoga Resiliency Center is another step toward fulfilling that commitment. It is the right solution for PG&E, for Calistoga, and for the planet.”
