Kokam, a provider of innovative battery solutions, has successfully deployed two Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide Energy Storage Systems (ESSs)—a 24-megawatt (MW) system / 9-megawatt hour (MWh) and a 16 MW / 6 MWh system—for frequency regulation on the South Korean electricity grid.
The 24-MW system is the largest capacity Lithium NMC ESS used for frequency regulation in the world, Kokam claims. Operational since January 2016, the two new systems, along with a Kokam 16MW / 5MWh Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) ESS system deployed in August 2015, provide South Korea’s largest utility, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) with 56 MW of energy storage capacity for frequency regulation.
These three systems are part of the world’s largest ESS frequency regulation project, which is scheduled to have deployed 500 MW of battery-based energy storage when it is completed in 2017, the company said. In addition to improving grid reliability, the Kokam ESSs will enable KEPCO to improve its operation efficiency by reducing its need for spinning power generation reserves. This will allow KEPCO to shift energy generation to lower cost, more efficient power plants and decrease “wear and tear” on all its power plants.
According to Kokam, the three Kokam ESSs will deliver an estimated annual savings of US$13 million in fuel costs, providing fuel cost savings three times larger than the ESSs’ purchase price over the systems’ lifetimes. In addition, by reducing the amount of fossil fuels burnt for frequency regulation, the Kokam ESSs will help reduce KEPCO’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The new 24 MW and 16 MW Lithium NMC ESSs utilize Kokam’s innovative Ultra High Power NMC battery technology. Designed for high-power energy storage applications, such as frequency regulation, wind or large solar power system ramp rate control, Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) and voltage support, Kokam’s Ultra High Power NMC battery technology higher energy density; higher power cycle life; better charge, discharge and max power rates; and improved heat dissipation capabilities.
The systems also use Kokam’s KCE 40-foot container, which features a direct cooling design, in which the container’s Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system only regulates temperatures inside the system’s racks rather than the entire container. This results in 70 percent less air conditioning auxiliary load than standard containers, the company claims.
Image source: Kokam Inc.
Rajani Baburajan