E.ON has begun the construction of a battery energy storage project in the US.

Iron Horse is a customised 10MW lithium-ion battery facility with an adjacent 2MW solar array.

The project, which is located at the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park, is expected to be completed in the first half of 2017.

It is the firm’s first energy storage project in North America.

According to E.ON, the project will be capable of responding to shifts in power demand more quickly, increasing system reliability and efficiency.

Tucson Electric Power will use Iron Horse’s capacity to help improve service reliability for customers while studying how energy storage systems can support the expansion of solar power resources and other renewables.

Renewables and energy storage will be part of the discussions at the Energy Live 2016 conference in London today. Join in the debate using #EL2016.