MegaWatt Solutions targets more utility-scale battery storage projects

MEGAWATT SOLUTIONS, Inc. is targeting to install within the year utility-scale battery storage projects with a total capacity of 198 megawatts (MW) after closing a deal to put up a stored power facility for Boracay island, company officials said.

Theresa “Tetchi” C. Capellan, president and chief executive officer of SunAsia Energy, Inc., the parent firm of MegaWatt, said the subsidiary’s target capacity translates to 792 MWhours (MWh) of power.

“Basically, its technology is lithium ion phosphate,” she told reporters, referring to the chemistry for the rechargeable battery that is same as the one used for electric vehicles.

Ms. Capellan said using the technology used for electric vehicles allows lithium ion phosphate batteries to draw more following than the other technologies, making its advance faster than the rest.

Ms. Capellan said the source of power to charge the battery is “technology agnostic.” SunAsia is a developer of solar farms, but its output is not necessarily tied to the projects under MegaWatt Solutions, she said.

“That’s why we created a company, which is MegaWatt,” she said.

In February, MegaWatt Solutions installed a 10-MW or 40-MWh battery within the service area of Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco) to replace the capacity of the diesel-peaking plant of the province. Akelco serves customers in Boracay.

Ms. Capellan said the utility-scale battery storage project is the first in the country and intends to address the island’s fluctuating and volatile power demand.

She said Boracay, a party place at night, has a different behavior in power demand as its capacity requirements are dictated by time. Larger capacity needs to be delivered to the island when visitor arrivals peak during summer or December.

MegaWatt Solutions was contracted by Akelco to supply and install the 10-MW battery, half the capacity of which is dedicated for Boracay.

In a statement distributed to reporters, MegaWatt Solutions quoted Akelco President Wayne T. Malilay as saying that the electric cooperative is in a better position to manage its supply by storing excess power during lean months and dispatching the stored electricity for use in the Aklan mainland.

“So, even when consumption drops significantly in Boracay during the lean months, [Akelco] doesn’t have to pass on to the consumers the wasted contracted energy. Excess energy can be transmitted to replace expensive diesel plants,” he said.