Sungrow has announced that it has forged a contract to supply its fully integrated Energy Storage System to the 100 MWac Chisholm Grid project in Fort Worth, Texas. Chisholm Grid has been under construction since August of 2020 and will be one of the largest battery energy storage facilities in Texas when work onsite is completed this June. The facility, utilizing industry-leading NMC battery technology, will generate revenue from the sale of energy and ancillary services to the ERCOT wholesale electricity market.
The Chisholm Grid Battery Energy Storage Project is owned by Astral Electricity, LLC, a privately-held energy storage power producer, and was developed by Able Grid Infrastructure Holdings, LLC, a joint venture between Able Grid and MAP RE/ES. Able Grid will provide operational asset management services for the site following commercial operations in mid-2021.
Sungrow’s ESS solution deployed for this project is the latest in a line of over 1,000 energy storage projects. At the heart of the technology are lithium-ion batteries, combined with Sungrow’s advanced converters and controls. Sungrow Services will maintain the asset under a long-term services agreement, reducing operating costs and extending the life span of the assets.
As an industry leading company, Sungrow must do everything possible to maintain its safety edge. “The safe operation of the project is of vital concern to us,” said Neil Bradshaw, the Senior Technical Sales Manager. “Not only is every cell protected electrically in a three-tier BMS system with supervisory controls, but each small battery module has internal thermal barriers and suppression technology. With an untarnished thermal safety record on over 1,000 energy storage projects, Sungrow is eager to show the world that battery energy storage at this scale is a safe, reliable and sustainable solution to ensure grid reliability amidst demanding market operating conditions,” he added.
“Years of innovation by Sungrow as a global technology leader now allows companies like Astral Electricity to deploy market-driven solutions that will accelerate the decarbonization of electricity production while also improving grid resilience. Sungrow’s highly-integrated offering and history of successful deployment in cooperation with leading global battery manufacturers were key factors in our supplier decision. We are looking forward Sungrow’s product providing reliable operations for many years to come,” commented Aaron Zubaty, CEO of MAP RE/ES.
“The landmark Chisholm Grid energy storage project is another exciting milestone in the US energy storage market which is strongly positioned for immense growth,” said Mizhi Zhang, Managing Director of Energy Storage, Sungrow Americas. “We’re poised to pioneer more energy storage innovations backed by the industry’s largest R&D team and 24-year proven track record. Our agile local team can offer responsive technical support, sales and industry-leading after-sales service,” he added.
As one of the key players in the energy storage market, Sungrow is an early entrant in the North American storage market with a deployment footprint spreading across multiple states including California, Massachusetts and Texas, achieving milestones both in the utility scale storage market as well as the C&I market where Sungrow currently maintains a strong position in North America. The Company acquired orders totaling 1.4 GWh in North America in 2020 including both standalone energy storage projects and storage in combination with power plants.