BP and Tesla to work on battery storage project at US wind farm

BP has announced it will work with Tesla on a new pilot battery storage project at one of its US wind farms.

Tesla will supply the petroleum company with a small 212 kilowatt battery (840 kilowatt hours) which will help the wind farm with its internal electricity needs when the wind isn’t blowing.

The Titan 1 wind farm, located in rural South Dakota, comprises of 10 turbines with a maximum capacity of 25 megawatts.

It is hoped the project will provide lessons for BP to develop more advanced battery storage at other wind and solar farms in the future.

Laura Folse, chief executive of BP Wind Energy said the pilot project will provide the company with “valuable insights as we seek opportunities to use energy storage more effectively across our diverse portfolio”.

“It’s another way that we’re working to create a wind energy business that is sustainable for the long-term and supporting the broader transition to a low-carbon future”, she added.

The investment forms part of BP’s strategy to invest $500 million a year into low-carbon technologies. Last year, it acquired 43 percent of British solar developer Lightsource, at a cost of $200 million.

The petroleum company also operates 13 wind farms in the US, from Texas to Pennsylvania, with a combined capacity of 2,259 megawatts.

“As a global energy business, BP is committed to addressing the dual challenge of meeting society’s need for more energy, while at the same time working to reduce carbon emissions,” said Dev Sanyal, BP CEO of Alternative Energy. “Projects like this one will be key in helping us get there and in playing our role in the global energy transition.”

Co-locating battery storage with renewable projects is becoming increasingly popular within the energy industry. Norway’s Statoil is using storage at its first floating offshore wind farm off the coast of Scotland to “mitigate intermittency and optimise output”, according to the company.