Enel X, the Enel Group’s advanced energy services business line, and power management company Eaton, have plans for microgrid development in Puerto Rico.
The initial project will incorporate onsite solar generation and battery storage at Eaton’s Arecibo plant, which manufactures circuit breakers used in homes, buildings and a range of industrial applications. The microgrid will enable Eaton to reduce its carbon footprint and demand on local energy infrastructure while improving energy resilience. The project will also enable Eaton to share clean energy back onto Puerto Rico’s electrical grid during periods of excess generation.
Under the terms of the agreement, Enel X will build, own, and operate the system on behalf of Eaton. Eaton will provide the installation expertise and key technology for the microgrid system, which includes its leading microgrid controller and balance of plant electrical distribution equipment. The new microgrid will enable Eaton to generate, store, and consume renewable energy, and deliver it back to the local grid while reducing stress on regional utility infrastructure.
The solar-plus-storage microgrid project will combine 5 MWac solar PV combined with nearly 1.1 MW/2.2 MWh of battery storage and will be fully integrated with the facility’s existing electrical systems including onsite power generation. Eaton’s microgrid control technology will balance where, when and how electricity is consumed, to ensure resiliency for the site, including during grid outage events.
Earlier this year, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau, the island’s energy regulator, released its latest integrated resource plan (IRP). Included in the IRP is a mandate for further development of microgrids and renewable energy with targets of at least 3,500 MW of solar and more than 1,300 MW of storage by 2025, as the island continues to rebuild its infrastructure following the 2017 hurricane season.
Like all Enel X storage deployments, the microgrid project will utilize Enel X’s Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Optimization software, and its capabilities to maximize the value of the project across multiple applications, including on bill savings, incentive programs and grid services.
The project demonstrates how Eaton’s Everything as a Grid approach to energy transition can help customers safely add more renewables and energy storage, transforming operations to become more sustainable and resilient, while lowering costs.
