Pasadena took another step toward goals for clean energy and grid resilience with the acquisition of grants totaling nearly $10 million, most of which is for a battery storage facility, city officials announced Wednesday.
The Pasadena Water and Power Department, or PWP was awarded four grants.
“We are very excited to bring new energy efficient innovations to Pasadena,” PWP General Manager David Reyes said in a statement. “Investments in energy storage solutions and distributed energy resources are at the forefront of Pasadena’s goal to source 100% carbon free electricity by the end of 2030. We will continue to seek additional grant funding to support our clean energy initiatives.”
Battery storage
The city and California Energy Commission recently formalized a $9.66 million grant initially made in 2024 from the commission’s Distributed Electricity Backup Assets program. The grant will pay for Pasadena’s first Battery Energy Storage System at the Glenarm Power Plant, located at Glenarm Street and Fair Oaks Avenue.
“This investment/project shows how local and state action can work hand-in-hand, to bring innovative solutions that strengthen California’s grid during heatwaves and give Pasadena added resilience during outages to better protect the community,” commission Vice Chair Siva Gunda said in a statement.
The PWP battery storage project will provide 25 megawatts of four-hour/100 megawatt-hour storage, officials said. Groundbreaking is set for sometime next year with operation expected to start in 2027.
According to the city, battery technology will help sustain reliable electricity during extreme weather events, help restore power in the event of a complete shutdown, known as a “black start.”
Updates and key metrics for achieving Pasadena’s carbon-free future are available online at PWPweb.com/CleanEnergyTracker.
Federal vouchers
The U.S. Department of Energy is providing Pasadena with two “in-kind voucher support” for two studies on local Long Duration Energy Storage, or LDES projects, officials said. LDES systems can provide power for 10 or more hours to increase grid reliability.
The voucher program is a partnership between the Energy Department and the nonprofit EnergyWerx providing support to municipalities in need of technical assistance for implementing clean energy technologies.
Pasadena Water and Power will work with industry experts on feasibility studies that look at incorporating LDES projects locally, according to the city. The studies are with Fresno-based X Utility, which will evaluate site selection and permitting procedures for potential local LDES project locations, and Montrose-based Grand Summit Group LLC, which will evaluate the suitability of the retired Broadway Power Plant as a possible location for long-term storage.
The studies will cost up to $100,000 and $150,000, respectively, with expected completion by September 2027.
“The study results will provide PWP with actionable pathways for next generation storage,” officials said.
Rooftop wind study
The city also received a $60,000 grant for a rooftop wind microturbine pilot project. The funding is from the American Public Power Association’s Demonstration of Energy and Efficiency Developments program.
The project will install a wind microturbine on a city-owned building and provide insight about reducing energy consumption at city facilities.
“This effort will also help demonstrate the value of emerging distributed energy resources in urban locations, such as Pasadena,” according to the city.
PWP expects the microturbine installation to finish in September 2027.
PWP provides electricity to more than 65,000 customers in Pasadena and delivers water to nearly 38,000 households and businesses in the city and adjacent communities in the San Gabriel Valley.
