Battery maker reports ESS deal in United States

Industry

Published: 02 Oct. 2014, 21:41

Battery maker reports ESS deal in United States

Korean companies are expanding their presence in the fast-growing energy storage system market.

Samsung SDI, a battery maker under Samsung Group, said on Wednesday it signed a deal with U.S.-based Green Charge Networks (GCN) to provide an energy storage system (ESS)

The company said it will supply a 25 megawatt-hour system to GCN, a leader in customer-sited energy storage systems.

The system will be able to supply enough power for 10,000 households for a day, according to Samsung SDI.

“The deal was made because of GCN’s high evaluation of the quality and safety of our world-leading secondary battery, as well as the industry’s only recall-free record,” the company said in a release.

GCN, a Santa Clara-based energy solution service provider founded in 2009, will use a Samsung SDI-made ESS for the next two years to supply hospitals, schools, hotels or large discount stores.

Samsung SDI said that in addition to the GCN agreement, it has signed ESS supply deals with other major companies in the United States.

Since electricity in the United States is most expensive during periods of peak usage, switching to an ESS at those times allows customers to cut their energy costs. “The ESS can drop the peak level of electricity use and therefore reduce electricity bills,” said a spokesman from Samsung SDI.

The Samsung Group affiliate said the United States is one of the fastest-growing ESS markets, as some states subsidize installation of the systems. New York State offers $2,100 per kilowatt for battery storage, while California provides $1,620.

Samsung SDI is not the only one eyeing the North American ESS market.

The company’s biggest rival, LG Chem, announced last week the start of operations of its ESS at Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm in California.

The affiliate of LG Group last year was selected by Southern California Edison to provide a 32 megawatt-hour ESS - the largest in North America - for the utility’s Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to data from Japanese market researcher B3, the global ESS market is estimated to reach $14.4 billion in 2020, with commercial installations accounting for 28 percent, or $4 billion.

BY JOO KYUNG-DON [kjoo@joongang.co.kr]