Dominion partners with Virginia State on battery storage project

Dominion Energy Virginia is partnering with Virginia State University to develop an innovative battery storage project that would provide backup power to the VSU Multi-Purpose Center. The MPC, located on the VSU campus, hosts athletic events, conferences, concerts and other community events. The initiative is one of several proposed to the Virginia State Corporation Commission in September. The projects will test three alternatives to lithium-ion batteries that could discharge power for significantly longer durations. Dominion Energy has enlisted California-based EnerVenue to manufacture the 1.5-megawatt battery that will be installed on the university’s Ettrick campus, located in southern Chesterfield County. EnerVenue’s Energy Storage Vessels use metal-hydrogen technology, a variation of what’s used in the aerospace industry, that can discharge energy for up to 10 hours. At another location in Henrico County, Dominion Energy plans to test two other pioneering battery storage technologies, including one that can discharge power for up to 100 hours. Most battery storage in the U.S. is currently limited to four hours or less.