O-I Glass and GridBeyond plan to implement a ground breaking battery storage solution at O-I’s Alloa facility in the United Kingdom. The innovative 8MW battery system and supporting energy management system (EMS) leverages artificial intelligence to significantly enhance energy efficiency, resilience and sustainability.
“Our energy strategy is grounded in resilience, innovation and transformation to embrace cutting-edge solutions that are scalable and sustainable,” said Randy Burns, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer for O-I.
By strategically charging and discharging the battery based on grid conditions, GridBeyond’s AI-powered system helps to stabilize the local electricity grid during peak periods, increases O-I’s resilience against brownouts and improves the grid’s efficiency and sustainability. It allows charging during times of high renewable energy availability and discharging energy to the site at peak hours of demand. With this approach, O-I is projected to conserve up to 240 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually at the Alloa facility once the project is operational.
The sophisticated battery management algorithm also helps to maintain a smaller overall footprint of the grid as it smooths out the load during peak hours.
In addition, the battery system will increase power resiliency at the Alloa plant by balancing voltage dips on-site and helping to prevent production equipment from tripping out.
“We are supporting O-I’s global sustainability strategy by leveraging localized product and process innovations to transform our operations,” said Jim Rankine, O-I’s UK Managing Director. “From our use of second-generation biofuels, derived entirely from renewable waste materials to leveraging AI to maximize energy efficiency, we are taking a holistic approach to achieving balance across our stakeholder ecosystem.”
“Through its AI platform, GridBeyond is a key player in supporting businesses’ energy transition and helping to deliver net zero. We are extremely proud of working with O-I and use our expertise to support the company to deliver a sustainable future”, commented Michael Phelan, CEO at GridBeyond.