LG Chem, one of the world’s leading makers of lithium-ion batteries, has been selected by Southern California Edison to deliver the largest battery energy storage system in the U.S., the Seoul-based company chemicals company said on Wednesday.

The project, named Tehachapi Wind Energy Storage Project, funded by the Department of Energy, involves powering up a 32 MWh battery energy storage system for Southern California Edison, a dominant electricity supplier in Southern California, company officials said.

“This project is one of the big milestones built upon the synergies of LG Chem’s advanced battery technologies and experiences throughout its mobile, automotive and energy storage battery business,” said Kwak Seok-hwan, vice president of the Energy Solution Company at LG Chem. “Collaborating closely with Southern California Edison on this project will provide key performance data and real-world experience and this will be a stepping stone of LG Chem’s battery energy storage system business to strengthen its position as a leader of battery manufacturers.”

The batteries that LG Chem will be installing in the storage system are capable of providing electricity to about 100 homes for one month and are equivalent to the number of lithium-ion batteries used in approximately 2,000 Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles manufactured by General Motors.

The objective of the project, officials said, is to evaluate the capability of utility scale lithium-ion battery technology to improve grid performance and assist in the integration of variable energy resources into the Southern California Edison grid.

“Viable energy storage solutions will allow for a smarter grid and assist in the integration of intermittent renewable resources,” said Mark Irwin, director of Technology Development at Southern California Edison. “This project will demonstrate the performance of the lithium-ion batteries in actual grid level system conditions and the capability to automate the operations of the BESS and integrate its use into the utility grid.”

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)