Cedar Rapids energy storage system now operational

CEDAR RAPIDS — A new 5-megawatt energy storage system from Alliant Energy is now operational in Cedar Rapids.

The battery system is capable of storing enough energy to power around 5,000 homes for two hours. Its addition more than doubles Alliant’s previous energy storage capacity in Iowa.

Crews completed construction of the site earlier this year, Alliant spokesperson Tony Palese said in an email. It sits at 1445 Wilson Ave. SW, near Alliant’s Deer Run substation. It is also the site of the company’s recently-announced community solar garden.

The new project is Alliant’s fourth battery storage system to be completed in Iowa, according to Palese. It increases Alliant’s battery storage capacity in Iowa from 3.5 to 8.5 megawatts.

The project’s testing and commissioning finished just last week.

“This project is fully operational and will allow us to continue researching and documenting the system’s performance, design features and grid integration as we explore the many uses and benefits of utility-scale battery systems,” Palese said.

Electricity travels across the power grid extremely fast — sometimes just under the speed of light — so it must be generated and consumed at the same time. Battery storage helps keep the grid balanced by preserving energy when demand is low and releasing it as needed.

With the extra storage capability, Alliant can take advantage of more renewable energy generation.

“We see enormous potential for energy storage systems as we continue our transition to safe, reliable and cost-effective renewable energy for our customers,” Mayuri Farlinger, Alliant’s vice president of customer and community engagement, said in a news release Tuesday morning.

These projects follow Alliant’s Clean Energy Blueprint, which outlines how the company will transition to cleaner and more affordable energy solutions.

In 2021, the company announced its intent to acquire 200 megawatts of solar energy and 75 megawatts of battery energy storage from the proposed Duane Arnold Solar Projects I and II near Palo. The Linn County Board of Supervisors is set to take up the projects over the course of three considerations at the end of August.

Brittney J. Miller is an environmental reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com