Valley Center Battery Storage Project Fully Online
VALLEY CENTER, CA – FEBRUARY 15, 2022: Terra-Gen, a leading operator and developer of critical renewable energy projects, today announced the Valley Center Battery Storage Project is online and providing clean energy to the local power grid.
“Our Valley Center Project has been successfully dispatching power to the local grid since December, and we’re proud to report that the facility is now 100 percent online,” said Mark Turner, Vice President of Energy Storage for Terra-Gen. “The Project is built to provide 140 megawatts into the local area for up to four hours. Terra-Gen is contracted with SDG&E to provide these services that support reliability and resiliency for the local grid.”
During construction, the company first installed the enclosures, then put the lithium-ion battery modules into racks within the enclosures. Electricity is stored and discharged from the batteries to the invertor transformer that is located next to them. The inverter transformer converts the energy from D.C. (direct current) to A.C. (alternating current) and delivers energy to the Project’s on-site switchyard, where the energy is then delivered to the SDG&E Valley Center substation that is located 1/3 of a mile away.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to many incredible people across the community for helping us bring this important project to fruition,” said Michael Johnson, Head of Battery Storage Operations at Terra-Gen. “We especially want to thank the community’s Planners and the Valley Center Fire Protection District — in particular, Fire Chief Jim Davidson — who has been an
outstanding partner and an invaluable resource.”
Terra-Gen is planning a formal grand opening event at the site later this year to thank Valley Center and the community leaders who supported the Project. Benefits of the Project for Valley Center Energy storage increases the resiliency and reliability of the transmission system in Valley Center and the local area. It helps prevent power outages, stabilizes the grid, lowers the cost of meeting peak power demand, increases the value of wind and solar installations, and reduces the need for expensive transmission infrastructure costs.
Battery storage is also needed to support renewable generation. For California to meet its goal of a zero-carbon future, more battery storage projects like Valley Center will be needed to bring renewable energy into homes, Turner said.
Economic Benefits
The Project is providing about $40 million to the local area in jobs and economic activity in and around Valley Center, with about 100 direct construction jobs and other indirect jobs as workers eat, shop and stay in Valley Center. There will also be millions of dollars in property tax benefits resulting from the Project.
Terra-Gen has also donated $250,000 to support the Valley Center Fire Protection District’s new fire station off of Cole Grade Road.
Terra-Gen is Terra-Gen is a leading US renewables business with over 1.5 GW of operating PV, solar, thermal and wind generation. Terra-Gen also has over 1,275 MWh of operating battery storage and a robust development pipeline. Its management team has collectively developed or acquired over $25 billion in assets, constructed over 7,500 MW of assets and has unparalleled expertise and experience in the California market.