GE Going Big Into Batteries

GE has released a new grid-scale energy storage platform designed in large part to better integrate renewable energy into the power system.

The GE Reservoir system is a turnkey offering that combines GE’s controls, power electronics, battery and operational management systems and electrical balance of plant.

The GE Reservoir consists of modular, grid-scale batteries that can be stacked together. Each of these 1.25 MW systems holds 16 000 lithium-ion battery cells that can release 4 MW hours of energy, enough to supply customers for four hours, the company said.

According to GE, the rise of the electric car unleashed innovation in the battery space, and the spread of solar power has brought costs down 50% over the last four years.

“You are now getting to a point where energy storage starts to make sense,” said Keith Longtin, product breakout leader at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, New York, USA.

The Reservoir systems are assembled and tested in factory, and installation is designed to be streamlined—the a 20-foot container can be dropped onto a foundation and then hooked up.

“GE’s Reservoir platform enables cost-effective distribution, storage, and utilization of cleaner, more reliable power where and when it is needed most,” said Eric Gebhardt, vice president and strategic technology officer of GE Power. “It can fit into most any setting, from centralized grid systems to the most remote villages and communities. The Reservoir also allows energy providers new degrees of flexibility for more intelligently managing and getting the most out of all their power assets.”