Elsteraue 30 MWh
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
As previously successfully implemented in Langenreichenbach, Bennewitz and Groitzsch, Upside has also installed a large-scale battery storage system in the proven configuration at the Elsteraue site. The BESS is at 20.1 MW slightly more powerful than the previous projects. The experience previously gained in the areas of logistics and construction made it possible to procure and build even more efficiently in the proven network with our partners, so that this battery storage project could be completed more quickly than it was possible in the Langenreichenbach pilot project, despite Langenreichenbach had 20% less power and capacity. We were also able to draw on 10 years of operational experience. This has led to further fine-tuning of the energy management system, which provides optimum support for battery management. This made it possible to define operating regimes that allow the battery cells to keep operating within their “feel-good parameters” in the various demanding energy markets while achieving unique marketing results on the market.
The Elsteraue project will be operated in the long term by a project company jointly owned by Upside and the Chemnitz-based energy supplier enviaM. Like Upside Group, enviaM is committed to the energy transition and is investing in innovative technologies to shape a climate-friendly energy future.
Location
Upside has built the utility-scale battery storage system at the Zeitz Industrial and Chemical Park in Saxony-Anhalt. The industrial park is an important location for the chemical industry, environmental technology and recycling. Around 50 companies are located there on an area of 232 hectares and benefit from a comprehensive infrastructure network. In addition to the energy security supported by the battery storage system through the provision of grid-supporting services, gas, hydrogen and process steam are also available here. In the middle of this center for “green chemistry” and sustainable technologies, Upside chose an open space less than 100 meters away from the Alt-Tröglitz substation, which can be seen as a good example of the path to a more environmentally friendly energy future. After all, the current battery storage area was formerly home to the Zeitz hydrogenation plant, a chemical plant that was not very environmentally friendly and produced synthetic fuels and heating and lubricating oils from lignite tar for over 50 years until its closure in 1996 and subsequent dismantling.
Performance
In addition to the frequency-controlled provision of power in the primary control reserve (PCR), the Elsteraue battery storage system also provides automatic frequency restauration reserve (aFRR). aFRR is used to stabilize the grid frequency following an imbalance between electricity generation and consumption. It follows PCR and serves to return the grid frequency to the setpoint (50 Hz in Europe). The aFRR is activated automatically within 30 seconds to a maximum of 5 minutes after a frequency deviation has been detected. In the Elsteraue energy storage system, this is performed by 11 inverters, each with 1.8 MVA, which each operate in the range of ±50 mHz around the setpoint value of 50 Hz. In this way, the battery storage system not only compensates for frequency deviations, but also keeps the ratio between generation and consumption in the grid stable. This also increases security of supply and flexibility, which is crucial for the energy-intensive businesses in the park.
Technology
Like the technologically identical storage systems in Langenreichenbach, Bennewitz and Groitzsch, the Elsteraue energy storage system relies on proven technologies from renowned manufacturers. The power electronics and inverters come from Siemens and SMA, one of the world’s three largest manufacturers of battery inverters. The battery cells used, manufactured by Narada Power Source, are lead-carbon dry accumulators in which the electrolyte is bound in a glass fiber fleece. Connected to a firmly welded ABS plastic housing with an outgassing valve, the battery cells can therefore be installed horizontally and could even be flooded without the contents escaping. During construction, as with all Upside projects, particular attention was paid to ensuring sufficient reserves of electrical and chemical components. In conjunction with the low fire load inherent in the cell technology, the Elsteraue energy storage facility is one of the world’s safest and most reliable storage projects, just like its predecessors.