Dominion Energy to Power Virginia State University with 1.5 MW Battery for Student Research and Training.

Dominic Energy, the state’s largest utility, is set to provide backup power for Virginia State University’s main sports and entertainment venue and a hands-on laboratory and research project for engineering students and faculty at the historically Black university near Petersburg, Virginia. The 1.5 megawatts battery is expected to provide hands on-the-table training for engineering and research students at the university. The cost of the pilot project is estimated to be $14.4 million. This is not the first time the university has collaborated with Dominion, with the utility seeking sites to test metal-hydrogen battery technology instead of a more commonplace lithium-ion model. The project is part of a larger effort to meet the General Assembly’s target of 250 MW of battery storage by 2025, with targets rising to 1,200 MW by 2030 and more than double to 2,700 MW by 2035.