TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Napa County Planning, Building & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jesse Gutiérrez, Principal Planner, Sustainability
SUBJECT: Presentation: Introduction to the Calistoga Resiliency Center by Craig Horne Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Advance Energy Solutions, Energy Vault
RECOMMENDATION
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PRESENTATION: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CALISTOGA RESILIENCY CENTER
STAFF REQUEST: Receive a presentation from Craig Horne PhD from Energy Vault on the Calistoga Resiliency Center, a first-of-a-kind hybrid energy storage system.
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California
Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Calistoga Resiliency Center is a first-of-a-kind hybrid energy storage system coupling lithium-ion batteries with hydrogen fuel cells. The system will provide 48 hours of continuous power to PG&E customers in downtown Calistoga and the surrounding area during Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
Severe weather, such as high winds, can cause trees or debris to damage equipment. If there is dry vegetation, this could lead to wildfire. As a result, PG&E may need to turn off power temporarily during severe weather to help prevent wildfires. These events are called Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
Beginning in the summer/fall of 2018 Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) initiated a Wildfire Mitigation plan which included Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) as a primary consideration to make when wildfire conditions are present. During a PSPS event, PG&E switches off transmission power in High Fire Hazard areas. The power shutoffs are an attempt to prevent wildfires from being started by electrical equipment during strong and dry winds. The City of Calistoga has been subject of several PSPS events, which have lasted a few hours to several days leaving business, citizens, and many critical governmental services without power.
A microgrid was installed to provide reliable, local power during such PSPS events. The Calistoga distribution microgrid was previously fueled by diesel generators. This first-of-a-kind, hybrid energy storage project replaces fossil fuel generation with hybrid hydrogen and lithium-ion battery technologies to provide 48hours of clean power to the entire system.
The Calistoga Resiliency Center (CRC) is a hybrid energy storage facility that couples two commercial clean energy technologies: hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries. The system is designed to provide 48 hours of continuous energy, and a peak instantaneous power output of 8.5MW during regional Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. When Calistoga's local microgrid is islanded from the regional electrical network during a PSPS event, the CRC will utilize clean hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, providing power to the local community. This integrated system results in zero point-source greenhouse gas emissions and is fully compliant with California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), meeting Calistoga's unique ultra-long duration energy storage needs. This complex system is managed by Energy Vault’s technology-agnostic VaultOSTM Energy Management System (EMS), which is able to provide full control and coordination across all project subsystems in order to provide a seamless operational experience for Calistoga. More information can be found at https://www.energyvault.com/projects/calistoga.
Calistoga Resiliency Center (Microgrid) website -
Calistoga Resiliency Center (Microgrid) | City of Calistoga <https://www.ci.calistoga.ca.us/city-hall/departments-services/public-works/calistoga-resiliency-center>
Presenter Bio: Craig R. Horne, Ph.D. serves as Senior Vice President of Advanced Energy Storage Development at Energy Vault and is responsible for the company’s portfolio expansion of energy storage solutions. Dr. Horne joined Energy Vault with deep domestic and international experience and over 30 years working with energy storage technologies. Dr. Horne has led the deployment and development of electrochemical energy systems and technologies spanning a range of underlying technology classes (flow, lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries as well as fuel cells). Dr. Horne formerly served as the Board Chair of the Energy Storage Association (ESA) and was an active participant in regulatory and legislative processes such as California’s landmark energy storage initiative (AB2514). Prior to joining Energy Vault, Dr. Horne served as Managing Director of Energy Storage at Wellhead Electric, Senior Director at Swinerton Renewable Energy (SRE), Vice President at Renewable Energy Systems (RES), and founding CEO and Chairman of Energy Vault where he raised over $25M in venture and grant funding. Dr. Horne currently serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Florida Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, has over 15 publications, and has been awarded 22 U.S. Patents. Dr. Horne holds degrees in Material Science and Engineering from UC Berkeley (Ph.D), UCLA (M.S.), and the University of Florida (B.S. with High Honors).