Invenergy LLC (Invenergy) announced the start of commercial operations of its 31.5 MW Grand Ridge Energy Storage project in La Salle County, Illinois. The project is located about 80 miles southwest of Chicago at Invenergy's Grand Ridge Energy Center, which is comprised of a 210 MW wind farm; a 20 MW solar project; and an existing 1.5 MW energy storage unit.

Grand Ridge Energy Storage provides fast-response regulation service to the PJM market.

"Invenergy believes that energy storage holds the potential to be a transformative force in the evolution of the electric grid," said Kris Zadlo, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Transmission at Invenergy. "As we expand our storage project portfolio, Grand Ridge Energy Storage reflects our company's commitment to, and belief in, the future of this revolutionary technology. We look forward to continuing to work with our customers to provide innovative storage solutions for their needs."

Invenergy also will bring online this year the 31.5 MW Beech Ridge Energy Storage project in West Virginia. Both Beech Ridge Energy Storage and Grand Ridge Energy Storage are utilizing BYD America's Containerized Energy Storage System.

In all, Invenergy has more than 100 MW of energy storage projects in operation, in construction, and in development in the United States.