TransAlta Renewables Inc. has began the commercial operation of its 10 MW WindCharger battery storage project. WindCharger is Alberta’s first utility-scale, lithium-ion energy storage project and utilizes Tesla Megapack technology. It has a nameplate capacity of 10 MW and a total storage capacity of 20 MWh. This technology can be fully charged in approximately two hours and will be powered by the company’s Summerview II wind farm. WindCharger did not require any new infrastructure investments as it is an entirely behind-the-fence project.
The project, which was acquired from TransAlta Corporation in August 2020, has a total capital cost of approximately CAD14.5 million (US$11 million), with approximately 50 percent being funded through the support of Emissions Reduction Alberta. As part of the acquisition, TransAlta will pay a fixed monthly capacity charge for the right to operate and dispatch the battery in the Alberta market.
