Saft, a designer and manufacturer of industrial batteries, has been selected by Cowessess First Nation (CFN) to design, produce and install a battery energy-storage system (ESS), including two Intensium Max 20E lithium-ion battery containers, as part of the High Wind and Storage Project near the City of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
The Regina project is the first wind power application for Saft in North America. According to the company, the grid-connected ESS will help optimize renewable wind power performance over the 15-year lifespan of the system. Each lithium-ion ESS includes a 400 kW power conditioning system for use in conjunction with an 800 kW utility-scale wind turbine.
The system is designed to harness intermittent wind power and provide a more continuous and predictable output for both on-grid and off-grid applications, the company adds.
“This is an extremely important project that will increase the amount of renewable generation we can deploy on the grid,” says CFN Chief Grady Lerat. “It’s critical to have Saft providing state-of-the-art technology to make the High Wind and Storage Project successful.”
The installation is scheduled to begin operation in early 2013. CFN is running the project in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Research Council. The project has received funding from Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Energy Fund, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada’s ecoEnergy Fund and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment’s Go Green Fund.
