GridStor, a developer and operator of grid-scale battery energy storage systems, completed its Goleta Energy Storage facility, the company celebrated on Dec. 1 at a dedication facility attended by public officials and regional business leaders.

Goleta Energy Storage is the largest power resource in Santa Barbara County, Caliornia, and only the second battery storage facility in the region. The 60-megawatt (MW)/160 megawatt-hour (MWh) lithium-ion battery facility will power the equivalent of 30,000 households and support the existing 900 MW of wind and solar power operating in the region. The facility will also help maintain grid reliability during the planned build out of thousands of megawatts of additional renewable energy projects over the next decade.

“Santa Barbara County generates little of our own power, which makes our infrastructure susceptible during wildfires, mudslides, and other natural disasters,” said Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann. “The addition of GridStor’s facility to our electricity grid gives us a critical backup in times of need and is a major step forward for securing our day-to-day power locally.”

GridStor will provide resource adequacy services from the facility to Southern California Edison under a contract while operating the facility in response to market signals from the California Independent System Operator.

The 44 emission-free containerized Tesla batteries installed at the GridStor facility were manufactured in-state in Lathrop, California. NORD/LB provided $55 million of project debt financing to GridStor to complete the development of the facility.

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