By Snohomish County PUD
When it comes to electricity, it’s generally use it or lose it.
From power sources like the mighty dams on the Columbia River to power lines right here in Snohomish County and Camano Island, our power grid is a network that is constantly balancing supply and demand to ensure that when you flip the light switch at home, your lights turn on. The minute those electrons are produced, there is a complex concert of grid operators who ensure they are delivered where and when they’re needed.
But what if you could store those electrons to be used later? Energy storage is a critical way that utilities like the PUD will meet future demand and clean energy mandates. The ability to store energy to be used at critical times during the day or month will give electric utilities the flexibility they need in a new world of clean, renewable power.
One of the issues with solar and wind power is that it is not always available. This means the power is intermittent and may not be there when utilities need it most. Think solar power when power demand is at its highest in the Pacific Northwest during the winter months.
For decades, the U.S. grid has been backed by giant coal and natural gas plants, which can be switched on or off depending on when utilities need the power. But those fossil fuel power sources are being retired across the Northwest and the nation and are not included in the PUD’s resource plans going forward.
That’s where energy storage really pays off. When energy demand spikes during the early mornings or late afternoons on the coldest and hottest days of the year, utilities are able to call on stored energy to bridge the gap.
Garrison Marr, the PUD’s senior manager of power supply, puts it best: “As those rivers are running and the wind is blowing overnight, energy storage will give us the opportunity to store that renewable energy locally while demand is low and then discharge it when we need it during peak demand.”
Marr is the architect of our Integrated Resource Plan, a long-term strategy document that outlines how we will power our customers in the future. The 2023 version of the IRP is nearly complete, and it forecasts significant increases to customer energy needs over the next 20 years due to increased electric vehicle adoption, more air conditioning and a push to electrify more new homes.
One of the main resources the PUD is looking at to meet that demand is building energy storage locally. That could mean more large batteries like the 1-megawatt/1.4-megawatt-hour lithium-ion battery storage project at the PUD’s Arlington Microgrid — a battery that has the capacity to power 650 homes for an hour. Utility-scale battery storage projects allow utilities to integrate more renewable energy onto the grid and ensure that power remains reliable.
Customers are also able to utilize energy storage in their homes and businesses. Though still expensive, small battery systems are being coupled with solar arrays to make it so homes and businesses could power themselves during a power outage. Also, some are installing vehicle-to-grid charging stations in their homes so they can leverage their EV battery to keep household appliances on during an outage.
In the future, those customers who have battery systems or can plug their EV into their home could conceivably partner with the PUD and other utilities to earn incentives by shifting energy usage during those times of peak energy demand.
Learn how the PUD is powering the future
The PUD is hosting an open house at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2, at the Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Center in Arlington. Stop by to take a tour of the microgrid and learn about the PUD’s Integrated Resource Plan, the future of energy storage, conservation, clean energy and more. For more information, visit snopud.com/irp.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
