E.ON celebrates grand opening of first energy storage project in North America, expands portfolio
10 MW Iron Horse energy storage facility paired with 2 MW solar array
TUCSON, Ariz., June 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- E.ON North America celebrated today the grand opening of its Iron Horse Energy Storage & Solar Project at the University of Arizona's Tech Park in southeast Tucson.
The 10 megawatt (MW) lithium titanium oxide storage facility and accompanying 2 MW solar array is now helping Tucson Electric Power (TEP) to maintain reliable electric service for more than 400,000 customers by providing frequency regulation and voltage control support.
"We're excited to celebrate the grand opening of our first grid connected lithium battery system project in North America," said Mark Frigo, VP of Energy Storage North America at E.ON. "Energy storage systems, like Iron Horse, allow utilities such as Tucson Electric Power to use renewable resources more effectively and efficiently within their electric grid. Energy storage has the potential to truly revolutionize the 21st century grid, and we are excited to be leading the way in this innovative new market segment."
TEP's large, community-scale solar resources produce enough solar power to serve more than 52,000 customers.
"We expect energy storage systems like Iron Horse to play an increasingly important role in the delivery of safe, reliable electric service to customers as we continue our expansion of renewable resources," said Carmine Tilghman, Senior Director of Energy Supply and Renewable Energy for TEP. "E.ON has provided our local electric grid with a cost-effective, reliable battery storage and solar system that will help us build a more resilient grid for our customers."
"This is a significant milestone, marking the first project of Phase Two in the Solar Zone at the UA Tech Park. Phase Two of the Solar Zone includes research and development focused on energy storage and grid optimization among other activities. The Solar Zone at the UA Tech Park is one of the largest multi-technology solar demonstration sites testing a variety of different technologies at the grid level," said Bruce A. Wright, Tech Parks Arizona Associate Vice President.
Lessons learned from the Iron Horse project are being applied to E.ON's Texas Waves projects, the second and third grid connected lithium-ion battery systems installed by E.ON in North America. Co-located at E.ON's existing Pyron and Inadale wind farms in West Texas, the Texas Waves projects are currently under construction and expected to be online by the end of 2017.
E.ON has developed, built, and operates more than 3,000 MW of renewable solar, wind and energy storage generation across the U.S., with more on the way. E.ON also offers O&M and asset management services to third party owner/operators looking for "Service with an Owner's Eye."
About E.ON
E.ON is an international investor owned energy company, focusing entirely on energy networks, customer solutions and renewables. In the 2016 financial year, more than 40,000 employees from 90 nations generated sales of around $42 billion. Around 33 million customers purchase gas and electricity from E.ON. Within the global renewables segment E.ON is a leading company. The company has already invested more than $11 billion and operates nearly 5.4 gigawatts of renewable capacity.
Featured Product

U.S. BATTERY RENEWABLE ENERGY SERIES DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES
Our RE Series batteries are designed to provide the highest peak capacity, longest cycle life, and greatest reliability for use in industrial or residential renewable energy applications. Renewable Energy Series batteries utilize the company's exclusive XC2™ formulation and Diamond Plate Technology® to create the industry's most efficient battery plates, delivering greater watt-hours per liter and watt-hours per kilogram than any other flooded lead-acid battery in the market. Our Deep Cycle batteries are engineered to work with solar panels as well as other renewable energy applications.