Huntsville Utilities Awarded Grant From The American Public Power Association

Huntsville Utilities will receive a $125,000 DEED (Demonstration of Energy Efficiency and Development) grant from the American Public Power Association as part of its first round of awards.

The grant will go towards Huntsville Utilities’ Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which is designed to enhance grid resiliency during extreme weather conditions.

The grant application was written by Anyama Tettey, an Electrical Engineer with Huntsville Utilities, with assistance from Roli Grigg and Kim Hensley. Ms. Tettey described the project this way:

“The idea is that during extreme temperatures, our peak demand shoots up tremendously, but it doesn’t stay that way for long. So, the first part of the project is more analytical. We identify distribution circuits whose demands are likely to significantly increase during those temperature extremes--it can be summer, winter or both. The second part is the installation of the storage system with a control unit that is tied to one of those peaking circuits, to store energy when we are off peak and release that energy during the peak.”

In total, the APPA awarded $457,425 in grants to support five projects, with an additional $42,000 for scholarships and internships. Sixteen public power utilities across 13 states will receive money from this first round of funding. 

Huntsville Utilities is a not-for-profit, public utility owned by the City of Huntsville, Alabama, serving the residents of Huntsville and Madison County.  The utility currently has approximately 212,000 electric, 105,000 water, and 62,000 natural gas customers.  Our mission is to strengthen trust in Huntsville Utilities, our vision is to deliver excellent customer experiences, and our values are to do what’s right, build community, and get better every day.