Georgia Power (GP) announced July 27, it recently completed one of the company’s first battery energy storage systems (BESS) connected to solar.
The Moody Battery Facility, near Valdosta, is capable of 49.5 megawatts (MW) of battery storage, which can be deployed back to the grid over a four-hour period. This flexible energy storage system matches the output of the nearby Moody solar facility and adds resiliency to the state’s power grid, the company said.
At this battery and solar co-located facility, battery energy storage helps capture renewable resources produced during periods when the demand for electricity is lower and stores it for use when the demand is higher, such as on cold winter mornings. GP said these projects help to address the state’s growing power needs in a cost-effective and strategic manner.
The Moody BESS facility was approved with three other BESS projects across the state, and GP is nearing completion of those projects – totaling 715 MW – Bibb, Cherokee, and Floyd counties, projects, which were previously approved in the 2023 IRP Update.
The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) also approved construction of nine additional BESS facilities on eight sites throughout the state, adding more than 3,000 MW of additional planned storage. The sites were strategically selected based on deployment capabilities, including the opportunity to locate additional resources at existing company plant sites, existing company-owned land, and proximity to substations or current company facilities. New BESS facilities will be at Plants Bowen, Hammond, McIntosh, Wansley, and Yates as well as standalone locations in Hall and McDuffie counties.
To support increasing demand for renewable energy, GP also has been approved for two new state-of-the-art solar systems paired with battery storage for a combined capacity of 350 MW. These projects are designed to maximize high solar irradiance while minimizing land disturbance. New solar-plus BESS locations will be in Laurens and Dougherty counties.
— Contributed