VCPWA Water and Sanitation to install money-saving battery energy storage system

The Ventura County (Calif.) Public Works Agency Water and Sanitation (VCPWA-WS) department will install a new battery energy storage system (BESS) and associated smart microgrid infrastructure at the Moorpark Water Reclamation Facility (MWRF). The project, in partnership with PowerFlex, will allow the plant to reduce energy costs and electricity rates during high peak use periods when electricity is most expensive.

According to the VCPWA-WS, the 750 kilowatt (kW) 3,000 kilowatt-hour (kWh) BESS and smart microgrid infrastructure improvements will improve MWRF’s redundancy and maximize use of its local green power production during a power outage.

The MWRF currently has a 999 kW rated solar panel field to power the plant, a 1,000 kW diesel generator to power the plant during emergency power outages, and a Southern California Edison (SCE) power feed to provide power when solar is not available. The battery storage and microgrid will integrate with the existing systems to isolate the facility during a power outage in order maintain operations.

“It is the goal of the VCPWA-WS to always be vigilant for opportunities that have the capabilities to improve the district’s infrastructure, stay up to date on new technology improvements, and be conscious of its role in helping improve our environment and lower costs to the customers it serves,” said Joe Pope, director of Water and Sanitation, in a statement.

The project is funded by leveraging PowerFlex’s financing model along with incentive funding provided by the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Self-Generation Incentive Program’s (SGIP) Equity Resilience budget. It is estimated that the project will save the district and its customers $355,400 over the 15-year life of the battery through a reduction in/of demand charges and energy charges during on-peak time-of-use charges.