Southern California utility Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has successfully demonstrated the use of a battery energy storage system (BESS) to perform a 'black start', restoring power to an electric power generator without calling on external transmission lines, in a move that could improve grid resilience. Earlier this month, IID's 33 MW/20 MWh lithium-ion BESS kick-started El Centro Generating Station's 44 MW combined cycle natural gas turbine, in what IID manager for energy department, Vicken Kasarjian, called a “major accomplishment in the energy industry". The demonstration was made possible by the fact that the BESS is able to store and release its stored electricity at high rates over long periods of time, which means it can be used as part of
Southern California utility Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has successfully demonstrated the use of a battery energy storage system (BESS) to perform a 'black start', restoring power to an electric power generator without calling on external transmission lines, in a move that could improve grid resilience. Earlier this month, IID's 33 MW/20 MWh lithium-ion BESS kick-started El Centro Generating Station's 44 MW combined cycle natural gas turbine, in what IID manager for energy department, Vicken Kasarjian, called a “major accomplishment in the energy industry". In January, the same process was performed for the first time ever by German-American technology firm Younicos.