Ameresco has finalized the construction of multiple battery energy storage systems (BESS) in collaboration with United Power, an electric cooperative serving Colorado's northern Front Range. The project includes eight BESS arrays, providing 78.3MW (313.34MWh) of battery storage capacity to the United Power electric distribution system across various locations.
Five of these sites are now operational, with the remaining three expected to be in service by the end of the summer. Strategically placed throughout United Power's service area, these assets will enhance load balancing and support the integration of renewable energy sources.
“The use of batteries on our distribution network is essential to a resilient and responsive power grid, and we are excited to be moving ahead with one of the most aggressive plans for such systems,” said Mark Gabriel, President and Chief Executive of United Power. “These battery energy storage systems will allow us to balance our power needs throughout the day and incorporate local renewables more efficiently.”
The Ameresco-owned assets comprise four 11.75MW and four 7.84MW battery energy storage systems across eight different substation sites owned by United Power, located in Adams, Broomfield, and Weld counties. Additionally, Ameresco integrated Stem's AI-driven clean energy software to optimize the operation and maintenance of these systems.
These batteries will enable the cooperative to store and dispatch power efficiently during periods of high consumption. “Partnering with United Power on these transformational battery energy storage systems has been incredible – in just under a year of working together we have accomplished so much,” said Jonathan Mancini, Senior Vice President at Ameresco.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the completion of the BESS assets, with the event taking place at United Power's Bromley Substation in Brighton.
