NC Electric Cooperatives Join Pilot Battery Project

North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, the power supplier and trade association serving 26 not-for-profit cooperative utilities that collectively power 2.5 million North Carolinians, will use a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to explore improved grid resilience and reliability through long-duration energy storage.

The selected project is a partnership with North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, the National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO), and four other electric cooperatives from across the country with a shared goal of bringing cutting-edge, long-duration energy storage opportunities to rural communities. Additional co-op sites are located in Iowa, Maryland and South Carolina.

“It’s a major win for the members who rely on cooperatives to help power their lives.”

“We applied for this grant to support our Brighter Future vision of providing reliable, affordable and sustainable power to the communities we serve,” said Jimmy Wilkins, vice president of energy portfolio for North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives. “While this selection for federal funding is a win for North Carolina’s electric cooperatives, it’s a major win for the members who rely on cooperatives to help power their lives.”

North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives will locate the battery storage project within its existing Hamlet Generating Facility in Richmond County. This facility is one of two natural gas peak generating plants owned by the cooperatives to support reliability and is deployed at times of high demand, like during extreme weather events — the hottest days of summer, the coldest nights of winter.

By adding long-duration energy storage to an existing peak generating facility, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives can pilot the battery’s capability for augmenting capacity from the generating plant to further support reliability during high demand situations. The battery will be capable of discharging 700 kilowatts to 3.6 megawatts of electricity for up to 20 hours.

“Electric cooperatives are energy innovators that play an integral role in the communities they serve,” said NRCO CEO Mike Keyser. “The five sites that have been selected are national leaders and will help demonstrate to other utilities across the U.S. the many beneficial uses for long-duration energy storage.”