An energy storage system (ESS) co-located with solar and wind power assets is now online at a research center in the Netherlands. The project, commissioned in a ceremony on Oct. 6, is a 24-MW/48-MWh that includes equipment from the Wärtsilä technology group.
The GIGA Buffalo battery installation is at the Wageningen University & Research test center in Lelystad. Officials in an Oct. 7 news release said it provides Eneco, considered the leading energy provider in the Netherlands, with power capacity to help alleviate intermittency from renewable energy resources. The ESS also is expected to help regulate energy frequency and support grid reliability.
Officials at the commissioning event also noted the project will bring revenue through optimization of the renewable assets, while also providing electricity that can be dispatched during periods of peak demand.
“We’re pleased to see this landmark project complete construction and come online. Battery storage is critical for the stabilization of the country’s electric grid and imperative for reaching our clean energy goals,” said Ruud Nijs, the CEO of GIGA Storage BV. Niis was joined at the commissioning event by Rob Jetten, minister for Climate and Energy in the Netherlands.
The ESS features Wärtsilä’s Gridsolv Quantum and GEMS Digital Energy Platform. The GridSolv Quantum is a fully integrated, modular and compact ESS. The company’s smart energy management system, the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, uses machine learning and historic and real-time data analytics to optimize the complete system. The installation also is optimized with Wärtsilä’s Service+ GAP solution, which provides system maintenance with performance guarantees. The equipment was discussed in detail during an Oct. 5 presentation at POWER’s Distributed Energy Conference, held this week at the Gaylord Rockies resort near Denver, Colorado.
“We celebrate another successful energy storage deployment globally, and our first here in the Netherlands. Congratulations to the Netherlands on this victory in their transition toward a net-zero future,” said Jens Norrgård, Director, Europe, for Wärtsilä Energy.
Dutch government officials have a goal to reduce current greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half by 2030, with a target of a 95% reduction by 2050 in order to meet decarbonization goals. Energy analysts have said the Netherlands will need at least 29 GW, and perhaps as much as 54 GW, of energy storage capacity by 2050 to support more renewable energy generation capacity.
“The Buffalo battery will help stabilize the Netherlands’ electricity grid and save a maximum of 23,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year,” said Maarten Quist, COO of GIGA Storage BV, when the project was announced last year. “We’re pleased to work with Wärtsilä to implement this landmark project, which will help us reach our goal of deploying 1.5 GW of energy storage in Europe by 2025.”
