San Diego-based Sempra Generation announced today that it has acquired Auwahi Wind Energy LLC, which is developing a 22-megawatt wind energy and battery storage project on Maui.

Sempra said the proposed Auwahi Wind Energy project would begin construction in 2011 and start commercial operation in 2012 on Ulupalakua Ranch.
The Auwahi Wind Energy Project was owned by Shell WindEnergy Inc. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
Sempra said an important element of the project is development of a battery energy storage unit.
The battery could store as much as 28 megawatt-hours of wind energy generated by the project’s windmills during the typically windy morning and night hours. The power could be stored until late afternon, when electricity consumption typically peaks.
Sempra said the project could help Maui attain its goal of obtaining 95 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.