June 8, 2015 – GE’s renewable energy business recently announced it will supply Convergent Energy + Power, a technology-neutral energy storage asset development company, with a 7MW/hour battery energy storage system for the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). The solution features GE’s Mark VI plant control system with SCADA, Brilliance MW inverters, packaged lithium ion battery modules, medium-voltage transformers and switchgear integration.

The new system is expected to help the IESO balance longer duration voltage and frequency irregularities in the area, according to GE. While it was engineered primarily to provide ancillary power services—including voltage control, reactive power support, frequency regulation and ramp rate control—the control system also offers energy-related services such as peak shaving and load shifting, depending on the IESO’s needs, GE added.
 
GE said it recently expanded its energy storage portfolio, and this deal marks the second system to utilize lithium ion battery modules.

Commercial operation is expected to begin in the fall of 2016, the company noted.