AC Energy launches first battery energy storage project in Laguna
MANILA, Philippines — The Ayala Group's listed energy platform AC Energy Corp. (ACEN) launched its maiden battery energy storage project of 40 megawatts (MW) in Alaminos, Laguna which will augment the operations of its solar farm in the area.
“We are delighted to start the operations of ACEN’s very first battery energy storage project. We will be looking to increase our investments in storage as the technology increases its viability and competitiveness” ACEN President and Chief Executive Officer Eric Francia said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
The two-unit energy storage facility, dubbed as the "Alaminos Energy Storage project", is located beside the company's 120-MW solar farm.
The project will serve as a repository of power, help manage internal energy demands, and provide reserve power to the national grid.
The facility contains 24 battery containers with lithium-ion batteries that can power around 20,000 homes and curb an estimated 36 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent every year.
With the storage facility completed, ACEN said it is now operating the country's first hybrid solar and energy storage project.
Although RE projects contribute less carbon emissions when generating power, they are considered as "variable" or intermittent since they cannot produce power 24/7, unlike coal plants.
Storage facilities like ACEN's can help RE projects tide over the periods when they cannot immediately provide power to meet high demand.
“With the Alaminos Energy Storage project, we can harness RE more effectively amidst its variability while improving the operating capabilities of the grid and ensuring high reliability," ACEN Chief Development Officer Jose Maria Zabaleta said.
ACEN believes that the storage project will be a crucial intiative in helping the company achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
ACEN aspires to be the largest listed renewables platform in region as it works towards its goal of reaching 5,000 MW of renewables capacity by 2025.
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