Energy Northwest tests wind power storage system

By Shannon Dininny
Associated Press

YAKIMA, Wash. — Researchers in the Pacific Northwest are testing and evaluating a new power storage system that could help store excess electricity generated by the region’s many wind farms.

The system announced Monday at south-central Washington’s Nine Canyon Wind Project includes lithium-ion batteries that can store 500 kilowatt-hours of power – enough energy to meet the demand of about a dozen homes for at least half a day.

That’s a relatively small amount of power compared with the large amount of electricity produced by the region’s growing number of wind turbines. But supporters say it’s a first step toward being able to store renewable energy that is produced when demand is low – say, at night, when most people are sleeping – to be used where it’s most needed during the daytime. Read more