Advanced Storage + Solar project to provide extended, durable energy security to U.S. Navy Base
UniEnergy Technologies (UET), the leading flow battery provider in North American and Europe, will supply a grid-scale advanced vanadium flow battery to provide long-term energy resiliency at Naval Base Ventura County (NB Ventura) at Port Hueneme, CA. The renewable energy generation and storage project supports a U.S. military strategic effort to implement renewable energy and greater energy security across its operations. The partnership was announced today by officials from the U.S. Navy and the California Energy Commission during a joint press conference at the California Energy Collaboration Conference at Stanford University.
The solar-plus-storage project includes a 6 megawatt (MW) solar installation combined with a 4.5 MW/18 megawatt-hour (MWh) UET Uni.System in a microgrid. In return for a low-cost land lease of 44 acres on Navy property, the Navy has the right to utilize the power, energy and other attributes of the storage-enabled microgrid in the event of a grid outage, to support critical loads, even if an outage extends weeks or months, without requiring external fuel supplies. Under normal grid operations, the solar and storage capacity generated by the microgrid will be purchased by a third party off-taker. In addition to providing the energy storage system, UET will own and operate the facility working closely with the Navy’s Renewable Energy Program Office (REPO).
“UET has established itself as a leading storage provider to support energy resiliency and 21st century grid services. The U.S. Navy is on the leading edge of implementing energy storage and renewable energy solutions to support critical operations,” said Michael Carr, UET’s vice-president of strategic and western sales. “This innovative partnership ensures the Navy will have access to secure energy resources for extended durations as needed during critical times during the next several decades. Meantime, the regional energy market will benefit from cost-effective, enhanced grid stability and advance California’s renewable energy goals. We look forward to working with the Navy on this and future projects.”
About Naval Base Ventura County
Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) is a premier naval installation composed of three operating facilities – Point Mugu, Port Hueneme and San Nicolas Island. NBVC supports approximately 80 tenant commands with a base population of more than 19,000 personnel. Tenant commands encompass an extremely diverse set of specialties that support both Fleet and Fighter, including three warfare centers: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division and Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center. NBVC is also home to deployable units, including the Pacific Seabees and the West Coast E-2C Hawkeyes.
About UniEnergy Technologies
UniEnergy Technologies (UET) provides turn-key, megawatt-scale energy storage solutions that deliver the full range of power and energy applications for military, utility, independent power producer, microgrid, and commercial and industrial customers. UET has systems totaling over 20 megawatt (MW)/80 megawatt-hours (MWh) deployed, ordered, or awarded in WA, CA, NY, HI, TN, Germany, and Italy. Founded in 2012, UET has grown from a start-up company commercializing technology initially developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, to a global company leading in the deployment of MW-scale containerized flow battery systems. UET’s customers consistently cite the value of fade-free performance, unrestricted duty cycle, and 20-year life as key reasons for selecting UET systems.