San Diego International Airport and ENGIE Storage Contract to Further Airport’s Strategic Energy Initiative
2 MW/4 MWh GridSynergy Energy Storage System is the First Airport Installation in the United States
SANTA CLARA, Calif. & SAN DIEGO: ENGIE Storage today announced that San Diego International Airport (SAN) is the first airport in the United States to install one of its battery energy storage systems. The 2 MW/4 MWh GridSynergy® energy storage system furthers the airport’s long-term commitment to efficiency and sustainability. Paired with the airport’s existing photovoltaic solar system, the new energy storage system will reduce energy charges during peak demand which equate to approximately 40 percent of the airport’s monthly electricity costs. The system is expected to begin operation in early 2020.
SAN is widely regarded as a leader for its sustainability efforts. In 2013, the Terminal 2 West Expansion, a part of The Green Build improvement project, was the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified airport terminal in the world. The expansion included the airport’s first solar array. In 2016-17, the airport installed additional arrays throughout its campus, totaling 5.5 MW of solar generation (PV). The battery storage system will allow the airport to realize additional significant financial benefits from its campus-wide PV portfolio.
“We are continuously exploring ways to operate more efficiently and reduce the airport’s carbon footprint as energy cost and demand rise,” said Kimberly Becker, SAN’s President/CEO. “This system becomes an important tool in that effort by helping to harness our onsite renewable energy opportunities and maximize their benefits well into the future.”
The airport will be using GridSynergy®, a comprehensive, software-driven energy storage solution. The GridSynergy cloud-based software will draw on past and present energy generation and usage data at the airport to calculate optimal charge and discharge cycles for the lithium-ion batteries. GridSynergy will continually learn and adapt to the airport’s energy needs over the next ten years.
“The San Diego International Airport is taking significant steps to reduce their carbon footprint and energy storage is playing an important role in their success,” said Christopher Tilley, chief executive officer at ENGIE Storage. “This is an important milestone as more airports are shifting their attention to the over-arching benefits energy storage brings, especially paired with renewables and efficiency measures.”
Solar generation is just one of many initiatives included in the airport’s comprehensive strategic energy plan. Other initiatives include LED lighting retrofits, HVAC efficiency improvements, additional solar and battery storage, and industry leading energy efficient design of new facilities to include the proposed replacement of Terminal 1.
About San Diego International Airport
Serving a record 24 million passengers in 2018, San Diego International Airport (SAN) offers nonstop services to 70 destinations in the continental U.S., Europe, Asia, Mexico and Canada. In operation since 1928, the airport is celebrating more than 90 years of service to the San Diego region. The airport has been managed by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority since 2003. The Airport Authority plans for and provides air transportation services to the region with safe, effective facilities that exceed customer expectations.
About ENGIE Storage Services NA LLC
ENGIE Storage helps power the world more efficiently and sustainably. As the nation’s number one distributed energy storage company, it serves energy producers, distributors, and consumers, including utilities, network operators, and energy consumers in business and government. Visit www.engiestorage.com to learn more.
ENGIE Storage is part of ENGIE North America Inc., which manages a range of energy businesses in the U.S. and Canada, including electricity generation, cogeneration, and energy storage; retail natural gas and electricity sales, and comprehensive services that help customers run facilities more efficiently and optimize energy use and expense. Nearly 100 percent of the company’s power generation portfolio is low carbon or renewable. Globally, ENGIE is the largest independent power producer and a leading energy efficiency services provider in the world, with operations in 70 countries employing 160,000 people, including 1,100 researchers. For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook pages or www.engie-na.com web site.
