PNM Solar Storage System a First

PNM Solar Storage System a ‘First’ Electricity is stored in batteries, then fed into grid Copyright © 2011 Albuquerque Journal By Michael Hartranft Journal Staff Writer A small solar plant and its experimental battery storage system went live in Albuquerque... More

PNM Solar Storage System a ‘First’ Electricity is stored in batteries, then fed into grid Copyright © 2011 Albuquerque Journal By Michael Hartranft Journal Staff Writer A small solar plant and its experimental battery storage system went live in Albuquerque on Monday in what Public Service Company of New Mexico said was the first solar storage installation in the country to be fully integrated with a utility’s power grid. Without a storage component, renewable energy is a limited resource that has to be backed up by traditional generation, such as coal- and gas-fired power plants, PNM president and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn said. “Although this technology is in its early integration stage and additional research and development is needed, the PNM Prosperity Energy Storage Project is a significant first step toward making renewable energy reliable energy,” she said. The $8. 7 million demonstration project, located near Mesa del Sol south of the airport, is the first of 16 smart grid pr Less