The Papago energy storage project for APS will use Canadian Solar’s subsidiary’s e-Storage SolBank, a containerized, proprietary battery energy storage solution. Once operational, the project is expected to dispatch enough power for approximately 244,000 homes for four hours every day.

Canadian Solar Inc. announced that e-Storage, part of its majority-owned subsidiary CSI Solar, will deliver 1,200 MWh (1,519 MWh dc nominal) of energy storage solutions to Recurrent Energy’s Papago Storage project in Arizona.

Papago Storage is expected to be one of the world’s largest standalone energy storage projects and the largest standalone energy storage project in Arizona. Once operational, the project is expected to dispatch enough power for approximately 244,000 homes for four hours every day.

Recurrent Energy, owner of the project, secured a 20-year tolling agreement with Arizona Public Service (APS) for the energy storage project, under which the utility pays for the right to charge and discharge the battery when it needs to.

In April of this year Canadian Solar rebranded its wholly owned global energy subsidiary as Recurrent Energy. This segment develops both stand-alone solar and stand-alone battery storage projects, as well as hybrid solar-plus-storage projects.

Last year Recurrent brought online 2 GWh of energy storage, including the1,400 MHh Crimson Storage project in California. On average, the Crimson project is expected to store and dispatch enough electricity to power more than 47,000 homes each year.

The Papago battery energy storage systems (BESS) project will use e-Storage’s SolBank, a containerized, proprietary battery energy storage solution designed and manufactured for utility-scale applications.

SolBank, which was announced last year at RE+ in Anaheim, uses high-cycle lithium-ferro-phosphate (LFP) batteries with a 2.8 MWh energy capacity. LFP chemistry has been found to cut the risk of thermal runway, or fires, that can be problematic in other lithium-based battery systems. The battery enclosure contains liquid cooling mechanisms and humidity control, and active balancing battery management systems. The company said the technology complies with the latest international safety standards.

e-Storage will integrate the SolBank with battery inverters and controls, as well as offer operations and maintenance services and performance guarantees under a 20-year long-term service agreement to the project. e-Storage currently operates two fully automated manufacturing facilities with an annual capacity of 10 GWh for 2023. As of July 2023, the company deployed more than 2.7 GWh of battery energy storage solutions across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and China.

Recurrent Energy began developing the project in 2016. Construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2024 with planned commercial operation in the second quarter of 2025.

Arizona Public Service is Arizona’s largest electric company, serving more than 1.3 million commercial and residential customers in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties. The company has committed to serving its customers with 100% clean and carbon-free energy by 2050.