Southern California Edison Company Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project Technology Performance Report #1
April 15, 2015
Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison Company
With a vision of safely providing a more reliable and affordable electric system, Southern California Edison Company (SCE) has been awarded up to $39.6 million in matching funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct the Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration (ISGD). This demonstration is testing the interoperability and effectiveness of key elements of the electric grid _ from the transmission level through the distribution system and into the customer premises. This end-to-end demonstration of smart grid technologies is helping SCE address several profound changes impacting the electric grids operation, including increased use of renewable resources, more intermittent generation connecting to the distribution system, the ability of customers to actively manage the way they use electricity, and policies and mandates focused on improving the environment and promoting energy security.
Project Overview
ISGD operates primarily in the City of Irvine (Irvine) in Orange County, California, and many of the project components are located on or near the University of California, Irvine (UCI) campus. Key project participants include UCI, General Electric, SunPower Corporation, LG Chem, Space-Time Insight, and the Electric Power Research Institute.
ISGD's evaluation approach includes four distinct types of testing: simulations, laboratory tests, commissioning tests, and field experiments. ISGD uses simulations and laboratory testing to validate a technology's performance capabilities prior to field installation. The purpose of the field experiments is to evaluate the physical impacts of the various technologies on the electric grid and to quantify the associated benefits.
