Wind Energy R&D Park and Storage System for Innovation in Grid Integration

The Wind Energy Institute of Canada (Institute) in PEI recognized the need to further explore energy storage technologies, and provide installation and operational information to system operators, utilities and other stakeholders.  The project “Wind R&D Park and Storage System for Innovation in Grid Integration”, led by the Institute, was awarded $12M from Natural Resources Canada's Clean Energy Fund in 2012.

Five DeWind D9.2, 2 MW wind turbines were installed on the Institute’s 38-acre site in North Cape, PEI.  Each turbine has a synchronous generator, which ensures grid stability by providing inertia to the electrical grid, responding positively to voltage dips, and providing grid support to the electrical network.  The turbines were commissioned in April 2013, and in that fiscal year, they produced 39,332 MWh. 

In February of 2014, the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) was put into operation.  The BESS is composed of two primary components - a power conversion system supplied by S&C Electric Canada Ltd. (S&C) via its PureWave® Storage Management System (SMS), and battery modules supplied by General Electric (GE).  The batteries are based on GE’s sodium nickel chloride Durathon modules and they represented the first such installation for GE in Canada.  

The battery for this project has since been decommissioned.  WEICan has retained the inverter, and is currently exploring opportunities to fund a replacement battery