PORT ANGELES — It may just look like a large box, but actually, an electricity inverter that was on display at The Landing mall Saturday could be part of the nation’s solution to meeting future energy needs.
The inverter, which converts AC and DC currents, eventually will be used to convert power stored in racks of lithium ion batteries.
The batteries will be installed at The Landing in June, said Thomas Spignesi of Catalyst Energy Solutions.
The Port Angeles-based company is providing the building with the technology through a Bonneville Power Administration grant awarded to the city of Port Angeles.
The batteries allow electricity to be stored during BPA’s “off-peak hours,” when there is the least demand on its transmission lines, and used when demand is at its highest.
That helps reduce costs for BPA and the city, which pays Bonneville more for power used during certain times of the day.
Batteries also make renewable energy more viable, said Spignesi, Catalyst executive vice president.
The problem with solar and wind energy is that it’s intermittent, he said.
The batteries can resolve that problem by storing electricity produced by the sun and wind and feed it into the transmission lines when the energy is needed.
Spignesi said the project at The Landing is the company’s first but that it hopes to have the batteries installed at utilities around the nation.
Paul Cronauer, owner of The Landing, said the inverter needs some additional parts and will be sent back to the manufacturer.
It will be viewable again early next month, he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
