Stimulus funding helps wind battery research
Duke Energy said it plans to match funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to design, build and install batteries for the storage of wind energy from its Nortress Windpower Project in western Texas.
Wind farm development has expanded as the global community looks for alternatives to conventional fossil fuels. The technology is limited to energy production only under certain weather conditions, however.
Duke said it plans to develop a large-scale battery to store excess wind energy for the distribution of electricity when wind turbines are not in cycle.
"Energy storage truly has the potential to serve as a game-changer when it comes to renewable power," said Wouter van Kempen, president of Duke Energy Generation Services, a Duke Energy subsidiary involved in renewable energy.
The Nortress wind farm consists of 95 wind turbines. The facility has a peak energy production of 151 megawatts of clean electricity.
Duke received its funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Duke and the U.S. Department of Energy must negotiate the terms of the financial stimulus before any of the funding is made available.
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Wyoming wind boost for US utility
WYOMING - US company Black Hills Energy has received regulatory approval to increase the size of its Corriedale wind farm in Wyoming to over 52MW from 40MW previously.
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission approved the additional 12.5MW capacity after the Wyoming Public Service Commission determined the boost was within commission rules.
Black Hills Energy will install five additional turbines, raising the project cost to $79m from $57m.
Corriedale will be built near Cheyenne and is expected to be placed in service in late 2020.
Black Hills said that during the initial subscription period for its Renewable Ready program, applications of interest from…
