VCPWA and Powerflex to build Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Australia

PowerFlex, a unit of EDF Renewables, and the Ventura County Public Works Agency Water and Sanitation (VCPWA-WS) department are working to install a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and associated smart microgrid infrastructure at the Moorpark Water Reclamation Facility (MWRF). The project will allow the plant to reduce energy costs and electricity rates during high peak use periods when electricity is most expensive.

The 750 kilowatt (kW) 3,000 kilowatt-hour (kWh) BESS and smart microgrid infrastructure at the MWRF improve the plant’s redundancy and maximizes the use of its local green power production during a power outage. The MWRF is a critical infrastructure facility for handling sanitary sewer collection for the Ventura County Waterworks District (VCWWD) No. 1. The plant currently features a 999 kW rated solar panel field, a 1,000 kW diesel generator 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 solar and diesel generator to isolate the facility during a power outage in order to maintain operations. 

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