ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – ComEd works with the City of Rockford to enhance solar panel impact and support clean energy in Illinois.
The U.S. Department of Energy, ComEd and the City of Rockford announced a new battery energy storage system Dec. 6 at Prairie Street Brewing Company.
The new battery system pairs with an existing customer-owned solar deployment at Prairie Street Brewing Company.
The President and CEO of ComEd, Gil Quiniones says, “As you know, the sun is not always shining 24/7, so what happens is that the solar collectors will generate the electricity, store that electricity in a battery storage so that then it can be used later.”
Quiniones says energy storage will be critical to keep up with the growing energy needs of society, like electric cars and even heating and cooling.
This project will also allow ComEd to research resource management to support the most efficient use of solar generation through battery storage.
They hope to support the growth of clean, resilient, affordable energy for communities across Illinois. Quiniones says Rockford has been declared a “community of the future,” with $116 million being invested into the city for energy projects.
“We are more flexible, we are more accommodating than some of these larger communities in being able to bring this innovation here and use it as a showpiece to show off to everyone that, hey, this stuff works and look at the profit that can be made,” says Michael Dunn Jr., Executive Director of Region 1 Planning Council.
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