Portland General Electric opened a 5-megawatt energy storage facility today to show how wind and solar power coupled with demand-response technology can increase the reliability and efficiency of energy delivered to businesses and homes.
The Salem Smart Power Center in Salem, Ore., is an 8,000-square-foot fully functional smart-grid demonstration site. PGE partnered with Cleveland, Ohio-based industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp. (IW 500/72) to develop the facility’s energy storage system and customized solutions.
PGE President Jim Piro said the project’s purpose is to “help Oregon and the nation learn how to build intelligent energy resources for the future while continuing to deliver long-term value for customers.”
“Eaton’s power-system expertise helped make the project possible,” Piro said. “We appreciate the dedication and excellence they brought to this project.”
The Salem Smart Power Center is part of the PGE’s Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, a program that involves 60,000 customers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
For more information about the Salem Smart Power Center and PGE’s smart-grid programs, see www.portlandgeneral.com/smartgrid.
