SRP Unveils Pilot Project to Deploy Long-Duration Energy Storage

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
September 2, 2023

Arizona public power utility Salt River Project and CMBlu Energy on Aug. 31 announced a pilot project to deploy long-duration energy storage in the Phoenix area.

The 5-megawatt, 10-hour-duration project, named Desert Blume, will use CMBlu’s unique non-lithium technology, and the firm will build, own and operate the batteries on behalf of SRP at their Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, Arizona.

SRP is the first U.S. electric utility to implement CMBlu’s batteries at this scale.

CMBlu’s Organic SolidFlow battery technology uses a non-flammable proprietary mixture of solid electrolyte and water-based electrolytes with high energy density and performance. The systems are fully recyclable, free of rare metals, and housed inside buildings.

CMBlu expects its battery system to cost-effectively store and deliver energy for two to three times longer per cycle than traditional lithium-ion technology, which typically targets a four-hour duration.

This pilot is part of an approved third phase of continued development at SRP’s Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center.

The first phase will add two flexible natural gas turbines with a total output of less than 100 MW, and the second phase will add a utility-scale advanced solar generation facility capable of generating up to 55 MW of solar energy.

SRP selected CMBlu after issuing a request for long-duration storage project proposals from emerging energy storage companies.

The Electric Power Research Institute will support performance monitoring of this pilot project and help validate the real-world performance of the technology in Arizona’s hot and dry climate.

The SRP pilot in Florence represents the latest application of CMBlu’s technology following several other project announcements this year.

Construction is slated to begin in early 2025, and SRP and CMBlu expect the pilot to be operational in December 2025.