System integrator Ameresco has secured a 313MWh battery energy storage asset agreement with Colorado electric cooperative United Power.
Under the 20-year agreement, Ameresco will install battery assets on multiple sites, with a total of 78.3MW/313.34MWh battery storage system on the cooperative’s electric distribution system. The project is expected to be in service in 2024 and marks one of many for United Power as it plans ahead for the departure of its current wholesale power contract on 1 May 2024.
Ameresco will provide four battery arrays with an output of 11.75MW and four with an output of 7.84MW, distributed across eight different substation sites owned by the cooperative – which serves Colorado’s northern Front Range – and will be sited in Adams, Broomfield and Weld counties.
With these battery assets, United Power will be able to better balance its load effectively during heavy consumption periods as it integrates more renewables into its operations.
Jon Mancini, senior VP of solar project development at Ameresco, said: “The inclusion of this expansive asset in Ameresco’s portfolio further underscores the global need for energy storage to bolster clean and sustainable power sources. Energy storage plays a crucial role in enhancing grid reliability, optimizing renewable energy utilization, and fostering a resilient and efficient energy future.”
The announcement comes less than a week after Ameresco secured another significant battery energy storage system (BESS) supply agreement with independent power producer (IPP) Middle River Power. The system integrator will deploy four BESS projects in California expected to be completed by Q3 of 2024 and with a total capacity of 379MWh.
The state of Colorado is also the site of one of two long-duration, 1GWh projects being deployed by utility Xcel Energy using the proprietary iron-air battery tech from Form Energy, for which the other in Minnesota this week got the regulatory green light.
