Energy Vault constructing green energy storage system in California

Energy Vault from Lugano in the canton of Ticino is joining forces with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company from San Francisco. According to a press release, under the terms of the partnership Energy Vault will construct an energy storage system in California that is designed to deliver power to approximately 2,000 customers in the city of Calistoga during planned power outages. Power cuts are planned when power lines in the area have to be shut down due to an elevated risk of wildfires.

In specific terms, Energy Vault will build a long-term energy storage system based on batteries and green hydrogen. It is intended to replace mobile diesel generators that have been used to date in the event of power failures. Initially, the system will have a capacity of at least 293 megawatt hours, which can cover the energy demand of the 2,000 electricity customers for a period of 48 hours. The capacity will subsequently be expanded to up to 700 megawatt hours.

According to the information in the press release, this is the first storage system of its kind and the largest utility-scale green hydrogen project in the USA. The partners assume that construction work will begin in the fourth quarter of 2023, with commercial operations then scheduled to commence in mid-2024. The energy storage system will be owned, operated and maintained by Energy Vault. ssp