The new facility “is configured to help manage internal electricity demands, store electricity when the solar plant is generating power but demand is low, and provide rapid power charging when the demand is high,” ACEN said in a recent press release.
LAGUNA province may soon become a hub for renewable energy in the Calabarzon region, with the start of the first hybrid solar and energy storage project in the Philippines.
Located in the town of Alaminos, the pilot 40-megawatt energy storage project will complement the 120-megawatt Gigasol solar farm currently operated by Ayala Group’s listed energy platform AC Energy, Inc. (ACEN).
The new facility “is configured to help manage internal electricity demands, store electricity when the solar plant is generating power but demand is low, and provide rapid power charging when the demand is high,” ACEN said in a recent press release.
The energy storage facility will also provide ancillary services to the national grid.
The facility holds 24 battery containers with SAFT 2.5 MWh lithium-ion batteries, enough to power about 20,000 homes and avoid 35.87 MTCO2e emissions per year.
“We are delighted to start the operations of ACEN’s very first battery energy storage project,” ACEN President and CEO Eric Francia.
“We will be looking to increase our investments in storage as the technology increases its viability and competitiveness.”
The 120-megawatt GigaSol solar farm, located in Barangay San Andres, started operations last June 2021.
According to the company, the solar farm can power approximately 80,000 homes in the Laguna and Batangas area, as well as contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the province.
The solar farm facility is also home to ACEN's Sustainability Hub, where the plant is surrounded by Ayala Land’s Carbon Forest, a woodland reserve that acts as a carbon trap and home to biodiversity.
A plastic recycling facility has also been integrated to pilot the circular approach, diverting plastic waste from landfills to be upcycled into eco-bricks and to be used in building facilities within the plant.
The potentials of solar power in the province of Laguna – which has its own share of renewable-energy resources such as geothermal and hydroelectric energy – have been touted as a possible solution to the current shortage of energy supplies in Luzon.
Last February 2, the Laguna Lake Development Authority has also raised the idea of using the Laguna de Bay as a renewable energy source.
In a memorandum circular, the LLDA offered 2,000 hectares of the freshwater lake for renewable energy utilization projects (REU), most notably floating solar farms.
Tags: #OpinYonLaguna, #solarfarm, #AlaminosLaguna, #ACEnergy, #renewableenergy