Iowa private university powers on 1.1-MW solar+storage system

Maharishi University of Management’s new solar power plant powered up for the first time Mid-December. The solar-plus-storage facility incorporates both single-axis tracking and vanadium-flow battery energy storage. Designed and installed by Ideal Energy, it is the first system of its kind in the Midwest. “One of the more exciting things about this particular project is the battery storage aspect,” said Congressman Dave Loebsack at the energizing ceremony. “This is leading us to the point where solar can be part of our baseload capacity. If we cannot only generate electricity throughout the day, but also store it so that we could use solar energy 24 hours a day, then it is by definition part of baseload, and that is really exciting.”