In an effort to improve reliability in central Queens, Con Edison has installed a battery system off 52nd Avenue in Woodside. The system will help take stress off the local electric grid this summer when temperatures soar and the demand for power is high.
Con Edison will charge the battery from the grid when the demand for power is not high. The new battery system can provide one megawatt, or a million watts, to customers. An agreement guarantees Con Edison the right to discharge the batteries to provide power to its customers as needed. The project will directly benefit customers fed by the overhead system in the southern area of Woodside and the northern part of Maspeth.
When Con Edison is not using the units for grid support, its partner in the project, Endurant Energy — which developed, constructed and owns the system — will dispatch power from the system into the wholesale market.
“Battery technology has emerged as an important tool for us as we strive to maintain our industry-leading reliable service and build a clean energy system,” Con Edison’s Project Manager Santee Hernandez said. “This project will also help us grow our knowledge about the viability of strategically placing batteries at customer sites where we think storage can provide the greatest benefit to our grid.”
The Woodside system is the third battery project that Con Edison and Endurant Energy have installed at customer properties under an innovative demonstration project. The customers who provide space for the storage units receive lease payments.
The other systems that are part of the demonstration project are on the North Shore of Staten Island and on City Island. Con Edison also has a two-megawatt battery in Ozone Park. That installation is separate from the demonstration project.
The Woodside project, which is between 59th Street and 59th Place, underwent an extensive safety review by the FDNY and the city Department of Buildings. Battery storage will take on greater importance as the state increases the amount of renewable energy powering homes, businesses and vehicles. Batteries allow energy companies to store energy generated by clean renewables and discharge power to customers when renewable resources like wind and solar are not producing to capacity.
