Dive Brief:
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Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC), an association representing 75 electric cooperatives throughout the Lone Star state, has formed a partnership with Advanced Microgrid Solutions.
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Under the agreement, AMS will design, install and operate a 200 kWh energy storage system at TEC's Georgetown distribution center, which supports electrical cooperatives across Texas and serves as TEC's training facility.
- AMS will also provide "preferred pricing" to TEC members for their microgrid and storage systems, according to a release.
Dive Insight:
Energy storage is often touted as the answer to the intermittent nature of renewable resources such as wind energy. And no state in the union has more wind power than Texas.
The partnership between TEC and AMS is designed to help TEC’s member co-ops improve reliability, integrate renewables and maximize the efficiency of its grid system and reduce operational costs.
"Battery storage represents the next step in optimizing our use of renewable energy," Johnny Andrews, COO of TEC distribution services, said in a release.
TEC's member co-ops serve about 2 million residential and commercial customers across rural Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. AMS CEO Susan Kennedy said the partnership represents a "tremendous learning opportunity for cooperatives serving rural areas across the U.S."
Under the agreement, AMS will install a small battery storage facility at TEC's distribution center to "reduce TEC's peak energy demand while providing support to the electric grid." The microgrid company will also provide "preferred pricing for advanced energy storage systems and AMS services," though details of the agreement were not released.