Tesla batteries help avoid peak pricing
PALMDALE — Tesla batteries installed at several locations in a little more than a year, are providing not only back-up power, but allowing Palmdale Water District to manage their electrical use to avoid peak pricing.
Assistant General Manager Adam Ly reported, Monday, on the battery project to the Board of Directors.
The batteries were installed in four locations, beginning in April 2021, with the latest completed, in June, he said.
“So far, we haven’t seen any issues,” Ly said of the system.
The batteries automatically turn on when the regular power goes off, allowing for uninterrupted function. When regular power returns, the batteries recharge, ready for the next emergency.
The batteries are located at wells and booster stations that could be affected by public safety power shutoffs, when Southern California Edison purposefully cuts power in areas where the potential for downed power lines poses an imminent wildfire threat.
During electrical power outages, the batteries give District staff time to react, by keeping vital water distribution functions operating.
While this emergency back-up power was the primary reason for initiating the battery project, they are also used to power equipment during times of peak electrical pricing, therefore reducing the District’s energy costs.
“That’s really where we see the benefit to the program,” Ly said.
Over 10 years, the combined savings of the four sites is estimated at more than $416,000.
The District received grants to cover the $5.09 million project cost from the California Public Utilities Commission’s Self-Generation Incentive Program for the battery project.
Tesla is scheduled to manage the batteries for five years. The District estimates the life of the batteries to be 10 years, Ly said.