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Eneco and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) are going to construct. under the name EnspireME. the largest battery system in Europe. In connection with the ‘Energiewende’. Germany is a frontrunner in increasing the sustainability of its energy supply. As a result. an increasing number of wind turbines and solar panels are taking over the production of electricity from existing fossil fuel power plants. However. these plants continue to play a role in the form of supplying reserve capacity that is needed to balance the power grid. The battery system will be able to take over the role of primary reserve provider and. thus. forms a sustainable alternative for the backup supplied by coal and gas fired power plants.
Jardelund
Eneco and MC will start the construction of the battery system in the Summer. The battery will be located next to a substation in the municipality of Jardelund in Schleswig-Holstein. close to the border with Denmark. Schleswig-Holstein is one of the leading federal states contributing strongly towards a successful ‘Energiewende’ in Germany. It is the place where electricity generated by large wind farms is collected and transmitted to other parts of Germany. The proximity of the substation has the advantage that the battery can play a role in reducing the regular loss of energy at these stations. Initially. the battery will be used for the primary reserve market. where the German transmission network operators purchase the reserve capacity they require to guarantee the 50 Hertz frequency on the grid.
Pilot project
With the support of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Eneco and MC will start a pilot project that will involve the connection of nearby wind farms to the battery system. If there is surplus capacity or an overload on the grid. these wind farms will be able to temporarily supply their electricity output to the battery system. This will not only reduce the load on the grid. but also has a financial advantage as the owners of the wind farms will be able to offer the stored electricity to the market at a more favorable moment.
Energy storage technology
The battery is a Lithium-Ion system of 48 MW and a capacity of over 50 MWh. which corresponds to the average daily energy consumption of over 5.300 German households. The battery system. including the power conversion system and controls. will be supplied and integrated by NEC Energy Solutions. a large energy storage system integrator. It is expected that the battery system will be put into operation at the end of 2017.
