Microgrid brings clean energy to Alaska community

The small scale project, initiated by Chugach Electric Association, aims to identify technologies that will enable the integration of more renewables, including wind power from a 17MW wind farm on Fire Island, located about 4km off the coast of Anchorage, which will work in cooperation with the storage solution.

ABB’s modular and containerised microgrid solution PowerStore will blend the complementary capabilities of two storage technologies, flywheel and battery storage. The flywheel will facilitate the integration of fluctuating wind power and the battery will be used for long-term storage. The battery has a capacity of 500kW/h with a maximum performance of 2MW.

“We are delighted to partner with a visionary utility like Chugach Electric, to build this microgrid which incorporates a hybrid storage solution to enhance reliability of power supply”, said Massimo Danieli, Managing Director of ABB’s Grid Automation business unit, a part of the company’s Power Grids division. “Integration of renewables is a key element of the Energy Revolution and a major focus area of our Next Level strategy.”

ABB’s advanced Microgrid Plus control system will monitor the hybrid storage solution and ensure proper load sharing between the two storage mediums. It is also equipped for remote service and maintenance.

“This innovative solution shows how energy storage technology can boost renewable energy penetration in Alaska and have far reaching implications for new renewable projects on the Railbelt as well as in smaller Alaskan communities,” said Paul Risse, Senior Vice President, Power Supply at Chugach Electric.