Vattenfall has started commercial operations at a 22MW energy storage scheme co-located with the 228MW Pen y Cymoedd wind farm in Wales.
The 22MW battery@pyc project, which shares electrical infrastructure with Pen y Cymoedd, will help the UK National Grid maintain frequency levels and reliability of electricity supply.
Battery@pyc, which is located in the upper Rhondda, Cynon and Afan valleys, comprises six shipping container sized units, five of which house 500 i3 BMW-made battery packs.
Vattenfall battery@pyc construction project manager Nick Entwistle said: “Installing a battery of this scale, co-located with a wind farm, has been a fascinating electrical engineering challenge, a challenge that has made best use of Vattenfall’s expertise and ingenuity.
“We also had expert back up; we couldn’t have done it without Belectric, EDS, Quad Consult and Electric Power Solutions.”
Vattenfall wind business head Gunnar Groebler said: “Vattenfall is on the road to a smart, digitalised future, free from fossil fuels within just one generation. I can think of few other energy installations that better demonstrates what that future looks like than battery@pyc.”
Natural Resources Wales manages the land at the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm site on behalf of the Welsh Government.
Image: Vattenfall/ Steve Pope
Vattenfall battery charge at PyC
By EBS