Henrico, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Dominion Energy says it's testing two new battery storage technologies that have the potential to be alternatives to traditional lithium-ion batteries.
The Darbytown Storage Pilot Project will be located at the existing Darbytown power station in Henrico County. It will test two alternatives to lithium-ion batteries: iron air batteries and zinc-hybrid batteries. Dominion says these technologies could be a "gamechanger" in its effort to transition to a cleaner energy grid.
One of the technologies could discharge energy for multiple days. Currently, the batteries used by Dominion last an average of about four hours or less.
Dominion is currently developing the largest offshore wind project in the U.S. and is continuing to expand its solar fleet. The company says adding longer-duration batteries to the mix could be a "transformational step forward," enabling it to discharge stored energy when it's most needed by customers.
