Xtreme Power Tapped for 10MW Wind Energy Storage in Hawaii

Xtreme Power, Inc (Xtreme Power), provider of Dynamic Power Resources™ (DPR™s) for utility-scale power management and energy storage systems, was selected as the energy storage provider for First Wind’s Kaheawa Wind Power II (KWP II) project. Located on the Island of Maui, the 21 MW farm will employ a 10 MW DPR from Xtreme Power.

This project marks Xtreme Power’s fourth in Hawaii since 2009, and its third collaboration with First Wind. In addition to KWP II, the DPR was installed on neighboring wind farm Kaheawa Wind Power, as well as First Wind’s Kahuku Wind Power project on Oahu.

At the KWP II site, the DPR will rapidly and automatically respond to differences between the farm’s output and the needs of the Maui grid, absorbing or delivering power as needed to significantly reduce the variability inherent to renewable energy sources. This ramping and smoothing functionality is essential to ensuring the management of large changes in wind farm output. First Wind will also utilize the DPR to provide the Maui Electric Company (MECO) with responsive reserves to enable the increased integration of clean wind energy, as well as for supporting services such as frequency and voltage regulation.

The Kaheawa Wind Power II project is scheduled for completion in November 2011.