Hartford Business Journal

12 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 22, 2024 By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com K ey Capture Energy is at the forefront of bringing renew- able energy to Connecticut, ahead of the state's goal of getting all its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2040. The Albany, New York-based company doesn't install solar arrays or build offshore wind farms. Its proj- ects are based on land, usually near electric substations. And when the projects are done, Key Capture leaves behind little more than a quiet, shipping contain- er-like structure that's connected to some wires. But without Key Capture's tech- nology, the state wouldn't be able to provide consistent and reliable renewable energy from intermittent sources, such as solar and wind, which are produced at the whims of Mother Nature. Key Capture develops and installs utility-scale battery energy storage facilities, which take surplus energy from solar and wind sources during peak production, store it and then dispatch it to the electric grid when it's needed. "The ability of these systems to store renewable energy when it isn't needed to meet grid demand, so that it can be used by households and consumers when demand rises, will make the transition to a fully decar- bonized grid possible," said Paul Williamson, Key Capture's senior manager of development. Currently, about half of Connecti- cut's electricity is generated at natural gas-fired plants, which produce a constant supply of electricity when they're running. Also, there are multiple peaking power plants across the state, which run on natural gas and provide additional power when needed. Under the current system, elec- tricity never gets wasted because the Key Capture Energy's team on a site tour at a completed battery storage project in Pomona, New York. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Stored Energy Key Capture's 400 MW battery energy storage projects seen as key to CT's renewable energy future grid operator, ISO-New England, can turn additional power plants on when demand is high, or off when demand is low. However, as an increasing percentage of the state's power comes from intermittent solar- and wind-powered sources, ISO-New England will rely on battery storage to maintain an adequate power supply. A solution Key Capture was founded in 2016 with two employees and has grown to 100 workers across three offices. In addition to its Albany headquar- ters, the company has locations in Houston and Brooklyn, New York. It's owned by SK E&S, a private natural gas company in South Korea, which is an affiliate of SK Group, a conglomerate that had about $106 billion in annual global revenue and more than 110,000 employees world- wide as of 2020. Key Capture has eight energy battery storage projects planned in Connecticut. Two have already received approvals from the Siting Council: one in Windsor Locks and another in East Hampton. These will be the first battery energy storage facilities in Connecticut. The company plans to begin operating both in 2026. The projects are 5 MW, which is roughly enough energy to power 4,000 homes. The batteries can dispatch energy for two hours, Williamson said. Key Capture is planning an additional 5 MW project in Stafford/Willington. Williamson said the company builds facilities near existing grid infrastruc- ture, such as power lines and substa- tions, with the appropriate capacity to charge and discharge its batteries. "To a regular person, these facilities look like shipping containers," he said. "While that may be true to the naked eye, they contain sophisti- cated battery systems that undergo rigorous testing, siting and permitting processes before coming online." Key Capture has four other Connecticut projects in the pipeline, at yet-to-be-determined locations. In total, Key Capture will provide 400 MW of storage capacity in the Nutmeg State — enough to power about 320,000 homes. Clean energy goals A state law passed in 2021 requires Connecticut to have 1,000 MW of battery storage capacity by 2030. With Key Capture providing 40% of that requirement, the state Depart- ment of Energy and Environmental Protection has issued a request for proposals seeking developers for another 450 MW of capacity. Connecticut's 1,000 MW goal puts it at the front of the pack of states that are embracing battery energy storage. Texas and California are the two leading states for utility-scale deploy- ments, Williamson said. New York has a target of 6,000 MW of battery storage by 2030. Recently, Michigan passed a law targeting Paul Williamson New England renewable energy mix Wind 3,874* Refuse 2,813* Wood 1,897* Solar 3,607* Landfill Gas 421* Methane 39* *Gigawatt-hours generated in 2022 Source: ISO-New England

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