Greensmith Energy Upgrades Existing 14MWh AEP Energy Storage System with GEMS Software

Greensmith Energy, the leader in energy storage software and services, installed its industry-leading GEMS software platform at an existing American Electric Power (AEP) energy storage site, enabling it to offer new services including qualifying for the PJM frequency regulation market. The sodium sulphur battery energy storage system, widely used at utility substations around the world, had previously been used as a backup system for AEP’s distribution network in the region. Greensmith’s newly-completed software upgrade has enhanced the system’s safety and reliability and enabled the 2MW / 14MWh West Virginia system to easily pass PJM’s rigorous qualification tests with a high performance score—on par with lithium-ion battery systems purpose-built for frequency regulation applications.

“The addition of Greensmith’s software platform and their system expertise have allowed us to expand the use of this energy storage system into a revenue generating asset through the PJM frequency regulation market,” said Ram Sastry, AEP’s Vice President, Infrastructure and Business Continuity. “This upgrade ensures that our Appalachian Power customers will reap the benefits of improved reliability of the grid and the revenue generated by the system through its enhanced capabilities.”

“This retrofit installation demonstrates that simply all batteries perform better with GEMS,” said John Jung, President and CEO of Greensmith Energy. “Now in its fifth generation, the GEMS platform has been deployed with over 200 MW of energy storage systems using batteries from more than 16 battery manufacturers and 14 power conditioning system vendors. Fitted to the large installed base of sodium sulphur and other battery chemistries, GEMS can unlock the hidden value of gigawatts of storage capacity for utilities around the world.”

AEP made a strategic investment in Greensmith in August 2015.