TUSSENHAUSEN, GERMANY--(Marketwired - Sep 8, 2015) - Energy storage pioneer Younicos has teamed up with Bavarian distribution grid operator LEW distribution GmbH (LVN), the Reiner Lemoine Institute and SMA Solar Technology AG to investigate the potential of using batteries at the low voltage level to alleviate local grids. As part of the "Smart PowerFlow" project, the partners last week officially unveiled a 200 kilowatt / 400 kilowatt-hour vanadium redox flow battery, which is the largest capacity battery to date in Bavaria.
Clemens Triebel, co-founder of the storage pioneer Younicos, said: "We are delighted to show how versatile intelligent battery storage can be when used at the distribution grid level. Like our already commercially operating battery power parks on the transmission network level, locally installed intelligent batteries also enable us to deploy more renewable energy."
Germany's energy transformation is felt particularly strongly in southern Bavaria's regional power grids. Originally, the networks were set up to distribute centrally produced power. Today they also gather electricity from numerous commercial and residential photovoltaic systems, especially in the region of Bavarian Swabia where the LVN grid area is. By temporarily storing the excess electricity from renewable energy locally and delivering it back into the local network when required, the battery storage system is helping to create an efficient, localized balance between generation and consumption.
"We want to change our energy system. In a nationwide comparison we in Bavaria are already a pioneer in electricity production from renewable energies," said Franz Josef Pschierer, State Secretary at the Bavarian Ministry of Economy. "That makes it all the more important to optimally integrate renewables into the power grid. Pilot projects such as Smart PowerFlow have an important role to play in this"
The Smart PowerFlow project will investigate to what extent a costly regional network expansion can be avoided through the use of battery storage. The system supports local voltage control, so that future network expansion costs are minimized while at the same time the capacity of the distribution network to integrate renewable energy is maximized.
In addition, the project partners want to test various control modes and evaluate associated revenue streams such as voltage control, frequency control, reactive power management and participation in the frequency regulation market. This is to show that intelligent battery systems at the distribution level are an economic mean of efficiently reinforcing grids.
"In the energy world of tomorrow, the distribution system operators will play an important role as they form the essential platform for a decentralized energy system," said LEW board member Dr. Markus. "We want to actively shape the transformation of the energy system and present real solutions. For this, we test new technologies such as the use of a large battery in Smart PowerFlow."
Tussenhausen was selected from among 80 possible locations. Several photovoltaic systems currently feed into the grid with a maximum output of 560 kilowatts. At the same time a correspondingly large local network transformer is present. The battery system has been installed on the outskirts of the town near the local power station.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy supports Smart PowerFlow based on a decision of the German Bundestag. For more information visit www.forschung-energiespeicher.info.
About Younicos
Younicos is a global leader for intelligent energy storage and grid solutions. Clients benefit from technical expertise, commercial know-how and in-depth experience built on nearly 100 megawatts installed in more than 20 energy storage projects worldwide. The company was founded in 2005 in Berlin, Germany, and currently employs more than 130 storage enthusiasts there and in Kyle and Austin, Texas (USA). For more information visit www.younicos.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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