What is the benefit of having battery storage on the grid?

Large scale battery storage systems like the Mountain Peak facility benefit the local electrical grid by providing resiliency and flexibility from a non-emitting capacity resource. Moving toward higher amounts of intermittent renewable energy in a region like Kansas will require balancing resources like the Mountain Peak facility that can quickly adapt to evolving grid conditions over time.

How did you choose the project location for Mountain Peak?

The Plus Power team considered a variety of siting criteria, including but not limited to land use designations, archaeological and cultural resources, topography, and proximity to critical utility infrastructure. The Mountain Peak facility location met the optimal criteria across all categories.

What prompted Plus Power to propose Mountain Peak?

The Mountain Peak facility is a critical grid infrastructure project ideally situated next to an existing substation to provide energy, capacity, and grid services in a region with growing local energy demand and abundant but variable energy resources.

How long will the batteries last? What will happen to them after that? 

The Mountain Peak facility will have a lifespan of at least 20 years. The original battery systems installed at the site are anticipated to operate for at least 15 years. As the original system naturally degrades, Mountain Peak will be augmented with supplemental battery storage units in the future. At the end of the project’s operating life, the facility will remove the battery system and restore the land to pre-existing conditions. Because the battery components contain valuable minerals, the system will be shipped away for recycling and salvage value.

Are there environmental, cultural or archaeological features that could be disturbed on the Mountain Peak project site? 

Plus Power is developing the Mountain Peak facility on property that has no known cultural or archaeological features within its footprint.

What considerations are being taken to ensure the safety of the project? 

Safety is paramount to Plus Power and the Mountain Peak facility. Several measures are being taken to ensure reliable and safe operation of the system. From a technology perspective, the Mountain Peak facility will utilize best-in-class lithium-ion cells based on battery chemistries similar to those used in cell phones, computers, and electric vehicles, although the battery and system will be held to the National Fire Protection Association 855 national standard and other related grid infrastructure codes and standards. In addition, the system will utilize a variety of thermal management systems as well as remote monitoring strategies in order to maintain system stability. The Saline County Fire and Rescue Department will be fully engaged in design discussions as part of the Conditional Use Permit application, and the Plus Power team will ensure there is significant collaboration and training with first responders in order to guarantee proper techniques are used in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Will Mountain Peak be able to withstand a natural disaster? 

The Mountain Peak facility will be designed per ASTM standards to ensure foundations and infrastructure are designed in accordance with local requirements. A detention basin will be utilized on site to manage stormwater and drainage.

Will the Mountain Peak facility impact my views? 

The Mountain Peak facility is ideally situated in an area already developed with existing public utility uses, away from residential areas. As such, the impact on local views will be very limited.