Public Service Co. of New Mexico (PNM) and its research partners are testing and demonstrating numerous benefits of the solar power-storage system at its Prosperity Energy Storage Project. The site features 500kW of poly C-Si PV panels and 500kW/1 MWh rated battery. The features of the battery include:

Smoothing: Battery storage provides the ability to “smooth” the output of the solar facility. For example, when a cloud casts a shadow on the solar panels, the advanced battery system and smart grid technology immediately dispatches energy to fill the gap created by the cloud.

Shifting: Stored energy can be dispatched as “firm” energy when energy demand increases, similar to how a natural gas plant can be used today during times of customer peak usage. This allows PNM to use renewable energy when it’s most needed.