Electrify America Adds MEGA Battery Backup to Charging Stations

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Electrify America has unveiled its first application of megawatt-level battery storage in Baker, California, ensuring that there’s always enough power to for its customers to charge up their EVs, regardless of the grid.

It’s important to note, however, that while this is the first megawatt-level battery energy storage system (BESS) for EA charging stations, it’s not the first BESS. The company has been putting in BESS installations across the US, with more than 150 such systems currently in service, including more than 100 installations in California.

“The application of the megawatt-level energy storage is the latest example of how we are continuously innovating to tackle infrastructure challenges and meet charging needs today,” Said Jigar Shah, Head of Energy Services at Electrify America. “As we expand the use of such solutions to more of our charging stations and also to our medium-duty and heavy-duty electric fleet customers, we are positioned to enable continued transportation electrification even in the face of utility capacity constraints.”

Solar Power Gets Some Love, Too

The new, megawatt-level BESS at the Baker location combines with an EA solar canopy (above) that goes a step further than Electrify America’s initial BESS systems (yes, I know — RAS syndrome) in managing energy costs. The big battery also reduces stress on the local energy grid by acting as a buffer to supplement power to charging stations when local utilities limit the amount of power a station can draw from the grid.

Electrify America selected the Baker station for the first deployment of the megawatt-level energy storage system specifically because of its remote location and utility capacity constraints. Translation: Baker needs as much help as it can get, and the integration of the roughly 1.5 MW / 3 MWh energy storage system with 66 kW of potential from the station’s solar canopy is EA’s solution for a comprehensive, sustainable way to get power to its customers 24/7, rain or shine, even in a blackout.

“To put this into perspective, the energy storage system at Baker, when fully charged, could provide enough energy for an average household for over three months on the single charge,” Shah said.

Sounds good to me — what do you guys think of EA’s battery backup system? Scroll on down to the comments and let us know!

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Source | Images: Electrify America.