ROANOKE, Va. – Appalachian Power is moving forward with plans to incorporate battery storage to improve electric service reliability and help meet clean energy requirements under the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA).
A formal request for proposals (RFP) from battery energy storage system (BESS) manufacturers will be issued Monday, Aug. 1. The company is seeking three systems totaling 7.5 megawatts for installation on the rural Glade-Whitetop circuit that provides power for customers in Washington County, Virginia.
Battery storage systems work by filling the gap when the normal flow of electricity is interrupted for reasons such as lightning or fallen trees. Outages will still occur, but with battery storage customers on the Glade-Whitetop circuit will experience fewer interruptions.
“Reducing the frequency and duration of outages in heavily forested, remote areas is a challenge,” said Chris Beam, Appalachian Power president and chief operating officer. “Deploying technology is one way to improve reliability, while also meeting our goals under the Virginia Clean Economy Act to add a mix of renewables and battery storage to our energy portfolio.” The VCEA requires Appalachian Power provide 100 percent carbon-free energy in its Virginia service territory by 2050.
Proposals must be submitted by October 1, 2022. Any proposals selected by Appalachian Power through the RFP process are conditional upon and subject to approval by the required regulatory authorities.
Businesses seeking to submit a proposal can access criteria, required forms, and other specifics online at http://www.appalachianpower.com/go/rfp .
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 16,700 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 7,100 megawatts of renewable energy.