Owner: Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD)
Period: 2019-2024

This demonstration project primarily involves design and construction of a new 125kW/500kWh BESS and associated recloser, transformer, and metering at SVUSD’s busyard and administrative office facility; and coordination with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and the California Energy Commission (CEC). 

This project explores several value stream opportunities for front-of-the-meter storage, including critical power services during grid outages. The intent of this type of solutions deployed at scale is to provide benefits to the customer and distribution system. In particular, for the local system, benefits can include mitigating adverse PV impacts such as voltage violations; at the bulk level, potential benefits can include leveling out the “duck curve” and limiting dependency on operating reserves. 

Although it is recognized that in front-of-the-meter and community-scale storage projects can benefit the grid and may be able to provide higher value to customers, it is not yet clear what those values are, how they can be maximized, or how to minimize the impacts of high penetration of renewables (e.g., in a community). 

Kewo Engineering provided electrical engineering design services for a new battery energy storage system for Sonoma Valley Unified School District. 

• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), 125kW/500kWh 
  • Equipment plan and sizing 
    • Bollard planning 
  • Wiring, conduit, and grounding 
  • Foundation pad design 
    • Transformer
      

• Electrical System 
  • One and three-line diagrams 
  • Equipment plan and sizing  
    • BOM Research 
  • Wiring, conduit, and grounding 
  • As-built drawings