Eneco and Mitsubishi Corporation construct largest battery in Europe
Eneco and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) are going to construct, under the name EnspireME, the largest battery system in Europe. This battery system will be located in Germany and enables the companies to supply sustainable reserve capacity to the European electricity grid. Both parties will also start a pilot project involving the storage of locally produced surplus wind energy.
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 favourable 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.
Hiroshi Sakuma, Group Chief Executive Officer, Mitsubishi Corporation: 'We have been strengthening our activity in the renewable energy field in order to contribute to a low-carbon society. We believe that energy storage will become a key factor, given the circumstance that energy volatility is expanding as the result of the rapid increase of renewable energy. This project is a significant step forward to the realisation of the sustainable society.'
Kees-Jan Rameau, Chief Strategic Growth Officer Eneco Group: 'Although, fortunately, the share of sustainable energy is increasing rapidly, it does pose a challenge for the energy grid. In our view, the solution to this is twofold: smart matching of supply and demand and a combination of small-scale and large-scale energy storage. Last year, we initiated the creation of a network of home batteries for consumers. In collaboration with Mitsubishi Corporation, we are now also making significant progress in the area of large-scale sustainable storage. Germany is a frontrunner in green development and, as such, ideal for gaining experience. This step will also provide valuable knowledge that can be applied on the Dutch market.'
About Eneco Group
Eneco Group is a group of companies operating in the field of sustainable energy and innovation. Together with our customers, partners and our 3,500 employees we strive to achieve our mission: ‘Everyone’s sustainable energy’. Eneco Group invests in wind and solar farms, biomass plants and green district heating with the aim to increase the share of sustainable energy. Furthermore, we develop innovative products and services that enable our customers to be in charge of how they generate, store, use or share energy.Eneco Group is headquartered in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Germany and France. www.enecogroup.com
About Mitsubishi Corporation
Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry, including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, and daily living essentials. MC’s current activities have expanded far beyond its traditional trading operations to include investments and business management in diverse fields including natural resources development, manufacturing of industrial goods, retail, new energy, infrastructure, finance and new technology-related businesses.
With over 200 offices and subsidiaries in some 90 countries worldwide and a network of approximately 1,200 group companies, MC employs a multinational workforce of over 68,000 people.
www.mitsubishicorp.com