Belgian battery park to open in 2021
Published by Bella Weetch,
Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
EStor-Lux is set to establish Belgium’s battery park in a partnership with Centrica Business Solutions, which will be responsible for operating and enhancing the revenue received from the batteries. The battery park will function as a virtual power plant, making efficient use of the available supply on the high-voltage grid and discharging the power when demand threatens to outstrip supply.
The 10 MW/20 MWh battery is under construction by EStor-Lux (a joint venture between Rent-a-Port, Idelux, Socofe and SRIW) and will be the one of the first battery parks of its kind in the Walloon region of Southern Belgium, as well as one of the biggest in Belgium. It will be operational from mid-2021.
The battery park is a response to the flexible capacity needs of Elia, the operator of the high-voltage electricity network in Belgium. Centrica will be able to make the virtual power plant available as part of the secondary reserve, which helps balance the frequency of the grid and which is necessary to guarantee its stability. The battery will act as a buffer, allowing electricity to be injected or absorbed from the grid as required.
The battery will play an essential and innovative role in the efficient management of renewable electricity supply and demand. It will allow the production of renewable energy to be flexible, by storing surplus production during off-peak hours and making it available to the network during major consumption peaks. It will form part of a larger virtual power plant, connecting virtually to large industrial businesses such as LafargeHolcim, Sappi and Foamglas. Once the battery has reached its full capacity, industrial sites can be called upon to utilise the stored energy. Conversely, when the battery needs energy, Centrica can coordinate the energy consumption of industrial players by asking them to slightly reduce their energy consumption temporarily.
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/27112020/belgian-battery-park-to-open-in-2021/
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