HOUSTON, TEXAS, Nov. 12, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAS Energy, a leading provider of thermal energy solutions, announced today that its Generation Storage® solution, turbine inlet chilling and thermal energy storage for increased power plant output, is now listed as a qualified technology (labeled 'gas fired generation plus thermal energy storage') under the Transmission-connected storage grid domains category available for investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in California to use in procuring a total of 1.325 GW of cost-effective energy storage by 2020.
There is a total of 700 megawatts that must be procured between the three (3) IOUs in the Transmission category alone by 2020. The Generation Storage solution is added to gas turbines to take power at night from the grid, or on-site, and store it in the form of chilled water overnight. The following day, the chilled water is released from the storage tank and used to increase the output of the gas turbine when higher temperatures negatively impact its performance. Utilizing the storage tank also provides flexibility for the generator to ramp up or down to address grid requirements. With California's generation profile that includes 50% of power supplied by gas power plants, there are over 1,200 MW of opportunity in the State to improve performance of gas turbines through the inclusion of Generation Storage.
In her introductory comments, Commissioner Carla Peterman stated, "I believe energy storage has great potential to help us address grid reliability and renewables integration issues. This decision is an important and appropriate step, especially considering the leadership role California has and continues to play in advancing progressive energy policy."
"TAS Energy has greater than 550 MW of Generation Storage installed in North America alone, however, this solution has not yet been installed in California," said J.T. Grumski, President & CEO of TAS Energy. "With this recent mandate and Generation Storage now being listed as an approved technology, we anticipate this will greatly open up the market for our Generation Storage solution in California with its extremely competitive dollar per kilowatt offering for IOUs."
This target set by CPUC is the largest of its kind worldwide and is set to increase California's installed energy storage capacity every two (2) years through 2020, with set targets increasing with each solicitation.
TAS Energy Inc. is a global technology company providing clean, economic, modular energy solutions for the power generation industry; district, commercial and industrial process cooling; data center/mission critical markets; and the renewable energy sector. A holder of multiple U.S. patents for technology advancements, TAS Energy leads the industries we serve by delivering turbine inlet chilling with energy storage solutions such as Generation Storage®, Organic Rankine Cycle technology for geothermal and waste heat applications, modular central plants and data centers; all designed for high life cycle financial performance. For more information on TAS Energy, please visit www.tas.com.