Siemens Gamesa is working on a hybrid energy project for Berkeley Energy in the Philippines that will combine an existing 16MW wind farm, battery storage and an in-house central control system managing the energy produced at the plant.
The project is at Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro and will provide a stable electricity supply in a location with a weak link to the grid, reducing its dependence on diesel.
Supply and commissioning of the project is being carried out by Siemens Gamesa, with construction by a subsidiary of Berkeley Energy.
The plant is expected to be in full operation in the second half of 2020, following the recent signing of a supply and five-year maintenance contract including the Siemens Gamesa hybrid plant controller (HPC) system.
The HPC system manages the power generated and stored at the plant and can fine tune the wind turbines to optimise the entire plant’s performance.
Siemens Gamesa onshore managing director of sales and marketing Warren Wilson said: “The plant is a great example of Siemens Gamesa’s capabilities to offer energy solutions to areas with difficult access to an electricity grid.
“This plant will help the region to cut its diesel use and emissions, while using storage facilities to assure that people have access to clean energy when they need it.
“Hybrid solutions such as these, reduce the intermittency of renewable energy, and as such provide huge growth potential.”
The wind farm has been fully installed, comprising eight Siemens Gamesa 2MW turbines, while the 6MW Gamesa Electric lithium battery storage system will be set up and commissioned later this year.
Siemens Gamesa said that an additional wind farm is also being negotiated, which would increase capacity by 10MW pending the issuance of appropriate approvals from the Department of Energy and other government agencies.
The operation of the hybrid plant, which is subject to the relevant government permits, will be optimised using an energy management service provided remotely by Siemens Gamesa technicians.
“The plant represents a significant technological advance towards making renewables an energy source that can be used on demand,” Siemens Gamesa said.