Lincoln Electric System energized a 3 MW / 12 MWh zinc-based battery to support the Nebraska state Capitol complex and critical infrastructure.
Lincoln Electric System is energizing a 3-MW/12-MWh zinc-based battery to support the Nebraska state Capitol complex and other critical infrastructure in Lincoln. The battery will charge during periods of low energy demand and discharge when load and prices increase. LES plans to dispatch it to reduce peak demand, provide operational flexibility, and increase the value of renewable assets—primarily wind—which comprise more than half its generation portfolio.
As part of Lincoln's microgrid, the battery backs up the state Capitol complex, a federal building, city offices, and two public safety facilities, located on part of an existing substation in central Lincoln. LES is a publicly owned nonprofit entity that joined the Southwest Power Pool in 2009, now covering the vast majority of Nebraska's landmass.
LES began exploring energy storage in the late 2010s but initially struggled to identify both a pressing need and a sufficiently reliable system. That shifted in 2020, when the downtown Lincoln microgrid came online. "All the sudden, we find a potential marriage there," said LES's project lead.
The utility issued a request for proposals in late 2021 and selected Eos Energy Enterprises, the battery manufacturer based in Pittsburgh. At the time, this was the largest battery Eos had under contract, though the company has since expanded production significantly. According to EnergyTech, Eos is supplying at least two major U.S. energy storage projects: a two-phase, 36-MW/216-MWh installation for the municipal utility in Springfield, Missouri, which is also part of Southwest Power Pool; and Frontier Power's 100-MW/400-MWh Redbird project in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
LES selected Eos for its lowest per-unit cost over the contract term and other advantages, including chemical stability. The zinc battery is essentially non-flammable—a critical safety feature for dense urban deployment. "It is neat to be able to play a part in helping a really new technology getting out there and gaining a foothold," the project lead noted.
LES currently has no immediate plans to deploy additional batteries on a system that historically peaks around 800 MW of load, as the utility has no pressing resource needs. However, the situation could change as generating assets age, new loads emerge, and market regulations evolve. Like the community-scale solar array LES deployed in 2016, the microgrid battery will help the utility become comfortable with technology increasingly central to the U.S. power landscape. "If we did a resource plan today, no doubt batteries would be evaluated," the project lead said.