PHOENIX (AP) - A fire and explosion in April 2019 halted the expansion of batteries for Arizona Public Service Co., but the state’s largest utility has restarted the effort to get more of its power from solar panels.
The fire at one of APS’ first battery installations in Surprise injured several first responders and put plans on hold while the utility investigated and took other steps to ensure the batteries are safe.
Utility-scale batteries can store electricity generated during daylight hours from solar panels and that energy can feed into the power grid in the evening.
That can allow APS to use more renewable, solar energy and match the power supply with the demand.
“We have made steady progress since setting our clean energy goal in January,” APS Vice President of Resource Management Brad Albert told the Arizona Republic. “Moving ahead with our energy storage plans, our recent purchase of more clean wind generation, and our expanded voluntary energy conservation program all support meeting the needs of our growing customer base with reliable, affordable and increasingly cleaner resources.”
APS has set a goal to get 65% of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2030 and to be 100% carbon-free by 2050.
The company also plans to end all coal-fired generation by 2031.
APS wants to install large batteries at six of its existing solar plants in Maricopa and Yuma counties and is seeking bids for two others in Yavapai and Pinal counties.
The 600 megawatt-hours of battery storage that APS will have after all eight batteries are installed is enough to supply about 150,000 homes for an hour.
Those eight battery installations are only a portion of the battery capacity APS announced it would build and that it eventually will need to meet its clean energy goals, according to the Republic.
APS also is seeking requests for proposals for more renewable energy. The request is open to projects that address electricity supply and demand.
The Republic reported that could include technologies that help customers conserve power during peak demand, when the strain on the power grid is greatest.
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