What matters: pioneering an intelligent energy future

Satisfying the world’s ever-growing need for power requires going beyond the way we manage energy today. Our grid has to be smarter and more reliable. It needs to respond to business, residential and community needs. And help control energy costs, reduce energy requirements and effectively support sustainable and renewable resources.

So when the U.S. Department of Energy selected Portland General Electric to participate in its $178 million Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, PGE turned to a partner with world-class smart grid expertise.

PGE’s new 5-megawatt facility in Salem, Oregon is a test bed for advanced energy intelligence. It’s the proving ground for new energy storage technologies to propel a smarter grid. And a testing site for experimenting with products, software and analytics to better manage consumption and improve grid performance.

Developing an intelligent energy storage system for the new Salem Smart Power Center called for a power management solution unlike anything in existence. Eaton was ready. Armed with extensive utility expertise and a proven history of bringing innovative problem-solving to help customers overcome tough engineering challenges—often the kind that never been tackled before, and all mission-critical.

Working hand-in-hand with PGE, we pioneered a solution that leverages first-of-its-kind lithium-ion battery storage technology. Eaton engineers devised a modification to enable bi-directional energy current operation. With customized Eaton Power Xpert inverters, the system can convert direct to alternating current and vice versa. Maximizing harvested renewable energy resources efficiently and cost effectively.

Eaton’s sophisticated control interface enables the storage system to perform in multiple modes. It intelligently coordinates the operation of the inverters and balances demand among the battery blocks. The facility can respond to both real-time and reactive power commands to achieve seamless power support. And deliver the kind of reliability PGE demands.

Tomorrow’s world demands a new kind of energy solution. And the PGE Power Center proves we can get there when we put smart thinking—and smart products—to work.