Arizona Public Service plans to bring battery storage to parts of rural Arizona. The public utility said it is one of the first in the country to do so.

APS will install the battery storage, instead of rebuilding about 20 miles of transmission and distribution poles and wires, in rural Punkin Center, a community of 600 residents, located about 90 minutes northeast of downtown Phoenix.

Construction on the project will begin in the fall and be operational by 2018. APS said it is one of the first public utilities in the country to use batteries in place of traditional wired lines.

Currently, APS is using batteries to store excess solar power and for other functions such as voltage support. According to its statement, APS said its use of battery storage for basic grid operation is a first for the company.