Europe’s largest battery plant with 25,600 lithium-manganese cells manufactured by Samsung was launched in Germany for filling the gaps in electricity production that occur sometimes.
Schwerin-Lankow, in Mecklenburg, where plant is located gets 80 percent of its electricity from wind turbines. Soon, 100 percent of the area’s electricity will be generated by wind power.
When winds are not blowing, electricity output falls down significantly. These 5 MWh of storage capacity costs six million euros. The power plan is connected to regional distribution by five, four-ton medium-voltage transformers.
Considering the role it plays in adding electricity to the community when needed, the price is not too bad. With more research and development, the dimensions might decrease along with costs. This is an interesting alternative to conventional power plants, said, Sigmar Gabriel, Economy Minister, Germany.
Germany has set a target to produce 55-60 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.
The unit was constructed by Younicos for Wemag that supplies power to an 8,600 sq km area in Germany.
Up to now the power grid has been stabilized by coal-fired power plants, which use only a fraction of their output for control power. This blocks space in the grid, forcing wind and solar generation to be taken offline, explained, Clemens Triebel, CTO, Younicos.
The battery power generation is expected to increase in the next five to ten years with the expansion of solar and wind power production.
Battery technology is improving irrespective of some adverse features like being weak and not viable to support renewable energy sources.
Eventually, battery storage may reach up to the level of solar and wind resources becoming common for utilities as well as homeowners.