Saft and Enercon to Help Stabilize Faroe Islands’ Grid

Saft, a Paris-based company who focuses on design development and manufacturing of high-tech batteries, is teaming up with German-based wind turbine manufacturer Enercon to create an energy storage system (ESS) which will aid the Faroe Islands.

The 2.3 megawatt project will be Europe’s first ever commercial deployment of a lithium-ion battery system that works in conjunction with a wind farm. The combination of the two will aid SEV, who produces and distributes power for the Faroe Islands, in addressing the Faroe Islands’ issues with grid stability by improving the dispersion of the renewable energy resources. The project will deliver ramp control, which according to Saft, will decrease the sporadic tendencies in the running power, as well as frequency response and voltage control services.

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“This will help to minimize curtailment (when wind generation is available but not injected into the grid) which can otherwise occur in periods of high wind and low consumption due to the destabilizing effect of variable wind generation,” Saft said in a press release.

Denmark’s government (the Faroe Islands are located within the country) believes its wind and hydro energy resources can help to reduce its dependency on oil. The country’s desires paved the way for the ESS project, which according to Saft, “will enhance grid stability by helping to smooth ramp rates and providing ancillary services such as frequency control, enabling SEV to capture the full potential of the new 12 MW Húsahagi wind farm.”

Those involved in the project are aiming for drastic improvements in Denmark’s renewable generation. The goal is to offset the country’s growing energy production by raising its share of renewable energy to 75 percent by 2020. The country’ renewable generation share was 38 percent in 2011.

“The environmental and economic futures of the Faroe Islands demand that we maximize the usage of all our available renewable energy resources. But it is equally vital that we maintain grid stability and reliability as the penetration of intermittent generation increases”, said Terji Nielsen, SEV Project Manager. “That’s why we have entrusted this crucial Li-ion energy storage project to Saft and ENERCON who are proving exceptionally strong partners, thanks to their combination of fully commercialized technology and the capability to support us at every project stage from initial concept and solution modelling through to final delivery.”

The ESS project, which is scheduled for appointing in December, will include two of Saft’s Intensium® Max High Power containerised Li-ion battery systems. Those systems have nominal rating of 700 kWH and 2.3 MW. Enercon will contribute its 2.3MVA power conversion system and power control system.

Though the ESS project will likely take Denmark’s renewable energy generation to new heights, it isn’t as though the country hasn’t taken huge steps forward as of late. In 2014, a 12 MW windfarm featuring 13 Enercon wind turbines, was installed in ?. The wind farm has increased Denmark’s windshare to 26 percent of total electricity production.