GE Unveils World’s First Battery Storage & Gas Turbine Hybrid with Southern California Edison

GE and longtime customer Southern California Edison (SCE) today
announced a plan to install the world’s first battery storage and gas
turbine hybrid. The two-project solution first calls for installation of
a battery energy storage system from Current, powered by GE, followed by
upgrades to a GE LM6000 gas turbine to integrate the two systems. The
LM6000 Hybrid EGT, which is scheduled to be deployed at two SCE sites in
the coming months, was developed in response to changing regulations and
grid requirements in the wake of California’s Aliso Canyon energy crisis
earlier this year and will ultimately support increasing renewable
energy capacity on the California grid.

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GE unveils world’s first battery storage & gas turbine hybrid with Southern California Edison (Photo: General Electric)

“GE’s new LM6000 Hybrid EGT product fits well with SCE's objective of
providing cost–effective, innovative solutions that enhance grid
reliability, flexibility, and fast response for our customers,” said
Phil Herrington, Vice President of Generation for Southern California
Edison.

The solution, which will qualify for California’s Independent System
Operator’s tariff for contingency reserve, answers a critical need for
Southern California, where regulations on natural gas usage and storage
are changing in the wake of the state’s Aliso Canyon energy crisis
earlier this year. GE’s Power Services and Current businesses worked to
develop the joint solution in a competitive offer in collaboration with
Wellhead Power Solutions, LLC.

“This was truly a best-in-class joint effort by Southern California
Edison, our partners at Wellhead Power Solutions, and multiple GE
businesses to enhance our technology and add Current’s battery storage
system to existing GE turbines,” said Eric Gebhardt, Chief Platforms &
Operations Officer for Current, powered by GE. “As a team, we worked
together to quickly provide a complete scope of the challenge and find a
solution in a very short time frame. Now we can bring this same
technology to other GE gas turbine customers around the world.”

The LM6000 Hybrid EGT product integrates a 10 MW battery energy storage
system from Current and an existing GE LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine
with control system upgrades provided by GE’s Power Services. The system
will allow the turbine to operate in standby mode without using fuel and
enable immediate response to changing energy dispatch needs. By
eliminating the need to constantly run the turbines at minimum loads to
maintain spinning reserves, the LM6000 Hybrid EGT will save fuel, reduce
maintenance costs and cut down on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“We are excited to launch this innovative hybrid solution to provide
immediate power, increase the flexibility of our gas turbines, leverage
new software controls solutions and increase customer competitiveness,”
said Paul McElhinney, President and CEO of GE’s Power Services. “With
our total plant solutions capabilities, we are able to help California
increase its grid efficiency and help SCE deliver more affordable energy
in a changing marketplace.”

The LM6000 Hybrid EGT offers ancillary and grid support at a lower cost
and smaller GHG footprint than traditional resources, plus it can
provide 50 MW of GHG-free spinning reserve, flexible capacity, and
peaking energy; 25 MW of high-quality regulation; and 10 MVA of reactive
voltage support and primary frequency response when not online.

The battery energy storage system is expected to be installed and
operational by the end of 2016, and the updated and integrated turbine
controls are scheduled to be operational in early 2017.

About GE

GE (NYSE:GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming
industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are
connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global
exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business
shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and
intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application
across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and
scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the
language of industry. www.ge.com

*Trademark and/or Service Mark of General Electric Company

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