Guam is a U.S. island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. The Guam Power Authority and Guam Waterworks Authority provide essential, continuous electrical power and water infrastructure service that are critical to the island, Guampdn.com reports.
The Guam Power Authority has unveiled its system for storing energy generated by solar panels, which officials said will help balance energy demand with production.
The battery energy storage system includes a 24-megawatt Hagåtña substation and a 16-megawatt Talofofo substation.
According to GPA, the Hagåtña substation will help “alleviate system frequency issues and eliminate a majority of the short outages customers typically experience whenever a generator trips off-line.”
The Talofofo substation will help “mitigate the intermittency of renewable power generated from the Dandan Solar Photovoltaic Farm,” according to the power utility.
While both substations have been commissioned and fully operational since March 1, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday.
The storage systems also will help mitigate the fluctuating fuel prices of expensive diesel fuel during peak hours, GPA General Manager John Benavente said.
He said the project marks a significant step toward moving Guam to its goal of having 50% of electricity produced from renewable sources in 2030 and 100% by 2045.
Benavente said GPA plans to install more battery storage systems throughout the island, further reducing the frequency of blackouts and brownouts, and moving Guam toward a 100% integration of renewable energy.