Located in Long Beach, California, the Fluence/AES Los Alamitos 100MW BESS Facility is one of the world’s largest BESS facilities in operation today. A Battery Energy Storage System, or BESS, is an arrangement of batteries that collect and store energy generated by a power plant, which is later released to the power grid when existing capacities are exceeded. The AES Alamitos BESS will supply a reliable energy source during times of peak demand of up to 100MW for four hours (400MWh) providing power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in milliseconds, as opposed to the 12-36 hour start-up from the existing plants. BESS also supports a cleaner energy future for Southern California Edison (SCE) customers by enabling increased integration of renewable energy, such as solar and wind.
PNG Builders served as the general contractor for this new construction, 42,763 s.f. one-story building facility and 104,253 s.f. substation. The fully sprinklered project includes six rooftop cooling units, three rooftop heating units and air conditioners with connected ductwork, three individual control areas, and 40 inverter/transformers flanking the structures east and west exterior. Supporting spaces include a maintenance room, storage room, single toilet room, janitor’s closet, and three fire riser rooms. The scope of work also captures civil engineered site grading/drainage, and landscape design.