An Alstom-Saft collaboration has commissioned its smart battery energy storage system (BESS) at EDF’s Concept Grid lab.
French electric utility company EDF is leading the project, the objective of which is to test battery storage in real conditions for the purpose of frequency regulation in mainland France, stabilising the grid and preventing blackouts.
The contract to install a 1MW per 30 minutes BESS was signed last year. The system consists of Alstom’s MaxSineTM eStorage smart converter and Saft’s Intensium® Max 20 lithium-ion battery and converts electricity between direct and alternating current that can be stored or released into the grid.
The system allows producers and grid operators new possibilities for releasing or storing energy into the grid when there is an imbalance between energy production and consumption.
Concept Grid, a real distribution network designed to support, test and anticipate the development of electrical systems towards smarter grids. is located on EDF’s research site at Les Renardières, south of Paris (Seine-et-Marne region).
EDF’s experiments will evaluate the ability of the storage system to regulate frequency. This system can also address integration of renewables and maintain grid stability.
Image: the Alstom Concept Grid at Les Renardières(Alstom Grid)
