Wärtsilä is in the final construction stages of the LeConte energy storage project, a 250 MWh system in Calexico, Calif., that Wärtsilä – as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor – is building for REV Renewables.
The LeConte system was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in early 2022 as part of a plan to build 15 GW of new energy storage and demand response resources by 2032 to ensure long-term reliability and meet the state’s renewable portfolio standard. The energy storage system for REV Renewables helps fulfill the resource adequacy obligations of California utilities and supports various ancillary efforts for CAISO.
Located near the California/Mexico border, the LeConte facility is situated at a major junction point for energy producers in the CAISO and San Diego Gas & Electric territories that are importing and exporting energy between the U.S. and Mexico. Moreover, the facility will be used to follow the automatic generation control signal to maintain system frequency and perform peak day operations to relieve congestion on transmission lines from the abundance of solar photovoltaic resources in the area.
“Battery energy storage is a key component to maintaining reliability and stability of California’s electricity grid,” says Cody Hill, REV Renewables’ senior vice president, battery systems. “Wärtsilä worked with us to manage supply chain challenges, to collaborate with local communities and to perform site safety and training to bring this complex energy storage project online.”
LeConte is Wärtsilä’s first agreement with REV Renewables, resulting from more than a decade of combined business development efforts across Wärtsilä North America and Wärtsilä Energy Storage & Optimisation. The project includes Wärtsilä’s GridSolv Quantum, a fully integrated, modular and compact energy storage system, as well as the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, Wärtsilä’s energy management system. The project will be maintained and optimized with Wärtsilä’s Service+ solution, a suite of comprehensive life cycle solutions applicable for energy storage systems, including scheduled maintenance services and extended warranties.