Dec. 2--Federal stimulus money will be helping charge a wind farm in Ector and Winkler counties.

Duke Energy's Notrees Windpower Project recently received $21.8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to go toward designing, building and installing large-scale batteries at the site, the energy department announced. The Charlotte, N.C., company plans to match the grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, bringing the project to a total of $43.6 million.

The 20-megawatt energy storage project will allow Duke to save wind energy produced when the wind is blowing hardest, such as at night and in the cooler months, and use it when energy needs peak, like during the day and in the summer, said Duke spokesman Greg Efthimiou.

"It's a very ambitious scale to do energy storage," he said. "We would not have applied for the grant if we did not feel we would be successful at it."

Though he didn't have specific numbers, Efthimiou said he expects the project to add both temporary construction jobs and permanent positions to the area.

"They're still going through what kind of technology might be used at the site," he said.

Duke hopes to start construction in 2010 and looks to finish either late that year or in early 2011, Efthimiou said. That is dependant on negotiating terms of the agreement with the energy department, which must happen before funds are released.

The battery project is independent of any decision on adding more wind turbines to the 95 currently at the 151-megawatt Notrees site, he said.

In April, Walmart began purchasing energy directly from the Notrees wind farm to power up to 15 percent of its Texas stores.

Gary Vest, economic development director for the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, said the storage site would be an "awesome" project. He is hopeful it will help the local economy.

"I just don't know," Vest said. "I assume they'll have some people out here doing research, and it will have a positive impact."

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