Goleta Energy Storage becomes the largest power source in Santa Barbara County
PORTLAND, Ore. December 5, 2023 – GridStor, a developer and operator of grid-scale battery energy storage systems, dedicated its Goleta Energy Storage facility on December 1st with public officials and regional business leaders. The 60 MW / 160 MWh lithium-ion battery facility will power the equivalent of 30,000 households – enough to supply electricity to all of Goleta’s residential customer base – every day through the hours of greatest demand on the electric system.
“California has an urgent need for grid reliability as it decarbonizes its economy, and battery storage is the critical resource that meets both challenges,” said Chris Taylor, CEO of GridStor. “The transition to clean energy takes the support of many partners, from developers and utilities to skilled tradespeople and the local leadership who oversee zoning and permitting. We could not be prouder to work with the City of Goleta and other stakeholders to bring this facility to life and support California’s goals for clean, reliable energy.”
Following opening remarks, officials from the City of Goleta, County of Santa Barbara, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, IBEW Local 413, and Southern California Edison joined Taylor for a ceremonial “flipping the switch” to represent turning on the battery facility. Goleta Energy Storage is the largest power resource in Santa Barbara County and only the second battery storage facility in the region.
“Goleta became a more resilient city today, with the dedication of GridStor’s storage batteries to our grid,” said Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte. “We are committed to our renewable energy goals, and this facility brings us that much closer to a day where we will rely predominately on wind and solar and have less need for the traditional gas-powered plant that has historically served us locally.”
The Goleta Energy Storage facility not only supports the existing 900 MW of wind and solar power operating in the region but also assists with maintaining grid reliability during the planned build out of thousands of megawatts of additional renewable energy projects over the next decade. GridStor will provide resource adequacy services from the facility to Southern California Edison under a contract while operating the facility in response to market signals from the California Independent System Operator.
“Energy reliability is a top priority for businesses in our region, and this project will bring a greater sense of energy security to our South Coast communities,” said Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann. “Santa Barbara County generates little of our own power, which makes our infrastructure susceptible during wildfires, mudslides, and other natural disasters. The addition of GridStor’s facility to our electricity grid gives us a critical backup in times of need and is a major step forward for securing our day-to-day power locally.”
The 44 emission-free containerized Tesla batteries installed at the GridStor facility were manufactured in-state in Lathrop, California. NORD/LB provided $55 million of project debt financing to GridStor to complete the development of the facility.
“GridStor’s Goleta Energy Storage project will secure grid power for one of our most climate-vulnerable regions as California continues to deploy new, clean power infrastructure in pursuit of our climate and energy goals,” said Rohimah Moly, Deputy Director of Energy & Climate at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. “This project demonstrates the City of Goleta’s leadership and the type of collaborative partnership between business and local government necessary to bring the state closer to our carbon neutrality goals.”
Media Contact
Alaina Gjertsen
About GridStor
GridStor is enabling the transition to a clean energy grid by deploying flexible grid-connected batteries at scale. GridStor develops, acquires, and operates utility-scale, standalone battery storage projects primarily across North America. Visit us at www.gridstor.com and on LinkedIn.
