Energy Vault starts construction on largest US green hydrogen storage

Energy Vault announced it has started of construction on the Calistoga Resiliency Center (CRC), the largest green hydrogen storage project in the US. The project is being developed for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on less than one acre of land in Calistoga, California, and is expected to be completed by July 2024. 

The CRC project is a hybrid consisting of utility-scale green hydrogen plus ultra-long duration battery energy storage system with 293 MWh of dispatchable carbon-free energy. The project's BESS portion will be used to support grid forming and black start (the procedure to recover from a total or partial shutdown) capabilities.

In a release, Energy Vault said its system will be capable of powering downtown Calistoga and its surrounding area for up to 48 hours during potential public safety shutoffs, which occur when powerlines are turned off for safety due to high wildfire risk. The new system will replace traditional mobile diesel generators currently used to energize PG&E's Calistoga microgrid during such shutoffs, the company said.

Energy Vault will own, operate and maintain the BH-ESS while providing dispatchable power under a 10.5-year tolling agreement with PG&E. The company will leverage its VaultOS Energy Management System to control, manage and optimize the BH-ESS operations.

Marco Terruzzin, Chief Commercial and Product Officer, Energy Vault, commented: "The timely start of construction is an important milestone in our partnership with PG&E to deliver this first of its kind microgrid solution. We greatly look forward to not only its delivery but most importantly to the sustainability benefits it will bring to the Calistoga community."

Mike Delaney, Vice President, Utility Partnerships and Innovation, PG&E, said: "Deploying cost-effective, next-generation energy supply and long-term storage technologies is essential to ensuring grid reliability and to achieving PG&E's goal of a net zero energy system by 2040."

"PG&E is developing a portfolio of promising new forms of electricity generation and storage technologies, and identifying the right applications that will support the further proliferation of these technologies at the lowest capital cost and highest-impact locations," he added.