Duke Energy announced the launch of two new battery sites in Alachua and Hamilton counties aimed at increasing reliability across the grid.
The Alachua County site features a 8.25-megawatt lithium-ion battery in Micanopy. The battery began operations on Aug. 5 and has an expected lifespan of more than 10 years. The battery will help Duke Energy manage peak usage times and improve energy security.
“At Duke Energy, we are always looking ahead for innovative technologies that can help us better serve Florida customers,” Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president, said in a press release. “These battery sites will help us continue to improve local reliability for our customers and provide significant energy services to the power grid.”
In April, Duke Energy finished the Hamilton County site in the town of Jennings just shy of the Georgia border. That site is 5.5 megawatts.
Duke Energy committed to opening six Florida battery sites in 2022, and the Jennings and Micanopy sites are numbers four and five. The company opened sites in Gulf and Highlands counties earlier this year.
The company also held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March for a 11-megawatt battery site in Trenton attached to a 74.9-megawatt solar farm.
The sixth battery site will open at John Hopkins Middle School in Pinellas County. The project will form a microgrid containing a 1-megawatt solar parking canopy hooked to a 2.5-megawatt battery.
Along with the new battery site, Duke Energy is constructing a 74.9-megawatt solar farm in Alachua County. The facility should finish early 2023 in southwest High Springs, south of Poe Springs.
According to the Duke Energy website, the facility will feature 220,000 solar panels and fund 200 construction jobs during the building phase.