Battery backup could be wind-power 'game-changer'

A Minnesota wind farm aims to boost the reliability of its energy supply with the addition of a 1-megawatt advanced energy storage system.

Juhl Wind plans to install the system from Zinc Air at its recently acquired Woodstock Hills wind farm located near the company’s headquarters in Woodstock, Minnesota.

According to Montana-based Zinc Air, its zinc redox flow battery is designed to achieve rapid payback periods while also being the greenest battery technology on the market. The energy storage system allows a wind farm to store and shift wind power for flexible use by utility operators.

“We have carefully studied the growth in storage technologies because we believe large-scale storage will unlock the full value of wind power,” said Dan Juhl, chairman and CEO of Juhl Wind. “If we can build a combination wind farm with storage for the cost of a new coal plant, we are confident we can deliver totally clean electricity that can compete head-to-head with the wholesale energy market today and into the future. With no fuel costs and all of the obvious health benefits, if we can deliver a dispatchable resource that is head-to-head competitive, wind power can grow even more rapidly.”

“When we acquired the Woodstock Hills wind farm this spring, we did so with a plan to ultimately add on our first utility-scale, storage system,” added John Mitola, president of Juhl Wind. “We are confident that a successful initial project can set the stage for larger growth of wind power in general and of course, for Juhl Wind and our farmer partners. Competitive, reliable storage can be a real game-changer for wind power and the entire utility grid. And, as we continue acquisitions of existing wind farms, the ability to bolt on storage can completely boost the economics of an existing project.”