Enel Green Power Germany, Enertrag and Leclanche have inaugurated the 22MW Cremzow energy storage system in the German state of Brandenburg.
The €17m battery project in Cremzow will support the stability of the German grid by providing frequency regulation services to the country’s primary control reserve, Enel said.
“When the grid’s frequency decreases due to high power demand, the battery is able to deliver its stored energy within 30 seconds, while in response to frequency increases due to low demand, the battery is charged with the surplus energy,” the company said.
The developers are also studying the integration of the project with Enertrag wind farms, using the latter projects to deliver surplus energy to charge the batteries.
Enel Green Power owns 90% of the battery project, with Enertrag the remaining 10%. Leclanche is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor in charge of integrating battery and power conversion systems and energy management software.
Enel Green Power head Antonio Cammisecra said: “The Cremzow project demonstrates how storage is increasingly becoming an integral part of renewable energy systems due to its enabling role in making them more reliable, flexible and stable
“Leveraging on our expertise in the storage segment and the fruitful collaboration with our project partners, we launched this innovative storage system which allows us to contribute to the stability of the electricity transmission network around the clock in Germany, the heartland of the European PCR market.”
Enertrag chief executive Jorg Muller said: “Cremzow BESS allows us to back up the renewable energy system in case a black start is necessary.
“Our consortium demonstrates that battery energy systems are profitable without subsidies. Renewable energy systems are mature.”
Leclanch chief executive Anil Srivastava said: “Cremzow is a landmark project which clearly demonstrates how energy storage solutions are solving some of the key challenges faced by our electricity grids today.
“We are delighted to be working with forward looking partners Enel Green Power and Enertrag, to deliver this important energy storage project which ensures the grid’s stability and reliability, with the ambition of increasing the level of renewables in the grid and reducing curtailment.”