World's largest storage battery will replace gas peaker plants in New York

[Humza]

Something to look forward to: The New York Public Service Commission approved a proposal last week to build the world's largest storage battery in Vernon Ave., Queens, New York. The location was reportedly home to 16 gas powered plants of which only 2 are operational today. Ravenswood Development, the current owner of these peaker plants will head the three-phased project, starting with the demolition of the remaining gas plants to make room for the 316 MW/2,528 MWh storage battery facility.

A proposal (pdf) recently approved by the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) at Ravenswood's generating station in Long Island will see the construction of the world's largest battery storage facility that will help to "offset dirtier resources and enhance New York City’s grid reliability."

Ravenswood began seeking the approval for this project in February. Once complete, the installed lithium-ion batteries will be able to supply up to a maximum of 8 hours of storage capacity at its rated output and charge/discharge up to 316 MW of power.

The company says that the project will store electricity drawn from the grid and generated by other facilities, with support for 129 MW to be added in the first phase by March 2021. The remaining two phases will add 98 MW and 89 MW respectively, with no timetable yet for their deployment.

Site for the proposed 2.5 GWh battery storage facility in Queens, NY.

Although the facility will store electricity generated through coal or natural gas sources, acknowledges Ravenswood Development, the company says that carbon emissions in the area will be lowered due to lesser dependency on gas burning facilities that emit high levels of CO2 during operation.

Ravenswood was also asked to identify "any facilities serving children, the elderly, people with disabilities (e.g., schools, hospitals, day care centers, or group homes) within 1500 feet of the project" to determine any negative impacts on the local population.

The Acoustal Analysis & Recommendations (pdf) notes the site's decibel rating to be less than 3 dBA which represents "a barely perceptible change in noise levels and is below the NYSDEC threshold for appreciable effects at any receptor."

Fully deployed, the 316 MW facility would be among the first in the world with an 8 hour storage capacity and will also be able to meet over 10 percent of New York State's 3,000 MW power goal for 2030.

Image credit (proposed site): Ravenswood Development

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/82536-world-largest-storage-battery-replace-gas-peaker-plants.html

 

[wiyosaya]

IMO, this is a step in the right direction, and, IMO, if humanity is on the right track, it will inspire development of better batteries.

The avalanche has started; its too late for the pebbles to vote. - Kosh, Babylon 5

 

[CharmsD]

Why do I see nothing but problems with this idea?
The worlds largest pile of processed lithium, securely canned, stacked neatly in one small location, compressing itself...forget them burning smartphones, we got your megawatts isolated right here.

I'm going Missourian on this, "show me", I truly hope this doesn't turn into a tragic mistake.

 

[wiyosaya]

Why do I see nothing but problems with this idea?
The worlds largest pile of processed lithium, securely canned, stacked neatly in one small location, compressing itself...forget them burning smartphones, we got your megawatts isolated right here.

I'm going Missourian on this, "show me", I truly hope this doesn't turn into a tragic mistake.

I agree that this is a problem. There is research being conducted into the cause of lithium battery failures. Nothing I know of has made it to market, yet. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-scientists-dendrites-whiskers-lithium-batteries.html

 

[Cycloid Torus]

I agree that this is a problem. There is research being conducted into the cause of lithium battery failures. Nothing I know of has made it to market, yet. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-scientists-dendrites-whiskers-lithium-batteries.html

See Redflow.com - zinc bromide flow battery.

 

[seeprime]

IMO, this is a step in the right direction, and, IMO, if humanity is on the right track, it will inspire development of better batteries.

The avalanche has started; its too late for the pebbles to vote. - Kosh, Babylon 5

This https://www.techspot.com/news/82515-10000mah-power-bank-claims-can-recharge-19-minutes.html Techspot article describes a use of a personal size lithium-graphene battery.

 

[Kreegir]

Yes, there will be bumps along the road in this transition but we need to address the real problem with the electricity system, the lack of an inventory system. With an inventory system in place, the cheapest means for providing power generation will naturally just take over.

 

[CharmsD]

With an inventory system in place, the cheapest means for providing power generation will naturally just take over.

So ever-declining costs driven by the superior market force of mega-giga factories and in-place distributions have won the storage wars through lithium.

We do lithium for a while longer. Nickle, you can wait.

I don't know anything about storing 316 MW of sunshine in lithium juice daily, in a compact location, but holy Chernobyl, I hope they engineer in safety measures prior to constructing this Ultron-Voltron machine.

 

[captaincranky]

Yes, there will be bumps along the road in this transition but we need to address the real problem with the electricity system, the lack of an inventory system. With an inventory system in place, the cheapest means for providing power generation will naturally just take over.

Well, "green energy" has been offered in Pennsylvania for years, and it's NEVER been "the cheapest source" (We're entitled to choose which entity generates our power), but only local utilities have the authority to deliver it. .

In actuality, nuclear power could easily be made into the most abundant and least expensive power source on the planet.

I can't begin to imagine the crap I"m going to have to listen to for saying that, in spite of honestly believing I'm "merely stating the obvious".

As for a city block full of lithium ion batteries, waiting to blow, no thanks.

As far as any type of battery developed thus far, none of them give back 100% of what you put in in terms of wattage. So, batteries waste power. Thus with a storage facility of that capacity, has anybody asked "how many homes could you power with just the charging losses?

And while I certainly agree a storage facility such as this could "smooth out the ripples", when extra power is necessary, (100+ degree days and such), it would still make the best terrorist target ever..

 

[wiyosaya]

See Redflow.com - zinc bromide flow battery.

Flow batteries are a promising tech. It will be interesting to see how they are adopted.

This https://www.techspot.com/news/82515-10000mah-power-bank-claims-can-recharge-19-minutes.html Techspot article describes a use of a personal size lithium-graphene battery.

I saw that article. The graphene sounds like it will definitely aid internal heat dissipation.

There are other developments out there that have yet to be commercialized that might increase the storage capacity - this one, in particular, may increase storage capacity of lithium batteries by a factor of 10.

Tiny silicon particles could power lithium ion batteries with 10 times more capacity

University of Alberta chemists have taken a critical step toward creating a new generation of silicon-based lithium ion batteries with 10 times the charge capacity of current cells.

phys.org

So ever-declining costs driven by the superior market force of mega-giga factories and in-place distributions have won the storage wars through lithium.

We do lithium for a while longer. Nickle, you can wait.

I don't know anything about storing 316 MW of sunshine in lithium juice daily, in a compact location, but holy Chernobyl, I hope they engineer in safety measures prior to constructing this Ultron-Voltron machine.

Fellow Voltron fan??

IMO, ideally, the world transitions away from batteries to ultra-capacitors. I have, unfortunately, not heard much about developments in that arena recently.

Well, "green energy" has been offered in Pennsylvania for years, and it's NEVER been "the cheapest source" (We're entitled to choose which entity generates our power), but only local utilities have the authority to deliver it. .

In actuality, nuclear power could easily be made into the most abundant and least expensive power source on the planet.

I can't begin to imagine the crap I"m going to have to listen to for saying that, in spite of honestly believing I'm "merely stating the obvious".

As for a city block full of lithium ion batteries, waiting to blow, no thanks.

Happy?
It's not much different than another Three Mile Island. Unless nuclear takes a different path like a pebble bed reactor, I don't think the current climate would be all that accepting - given plant failures like Fukushima. There were new reactors planned until Fukushima happened, and at least some of them have been cancelled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_canceled_nuclear_plants_in_the_United_States

As far as any type of battery developed thus far, none of them give back 100% of what you put in in terms of wattage. So, batteries waste power. Thus with a storage facility of that capacity, has anybody asked "how many homes could you power with just the charging losses?

No storage solution, yet, is 100-percent efficient. I have to wonder if this is a replacement for some other power buffering solution.

And while I certainly agree a storage facility such as this could "smooth out the ripples", when extra power is necessary, (100+ degree days and such), it would still make the best terrorist target ever..

I was thinking the same thing. Since you bring up nuclear, that would also represent a prime terrorist target, too, without adequate precautions, of course. Present nuclear domes are extremely hard to breech, but given this battery is going to be distributed over a large area, it might not be that prime of a target as any such attack might have to blow the whole thing up.

 

[wiyosaya]

Interestingly enough, a just published article on a non-flammable electrolyte for lithium ion batteries.

Batteries with fluorinated electrolytes that work at very high and low temperatures

Electrolytes are chemical components that enable the flow of ions between the cathode and anode inside batteries, ultimately providing electrical power to technological devices. Most conventional and readily available non-aqueous Li-ion batteries are fabricated using carbonate-based electrolytes.

techxplore.com

 

[treetops]

Idk why they would demolish the old plants, might as well leave em as a backup

 

[Markoni35]

Oh, wait, they "forgot" to mention the price.
I guess it would be around Nigeria's yearly GDP or so?

 

[inoital]

Here's an alternate battery technology that's coming on line exactly for this purpose https://www.formenergy.com/