Axpo has installed and commissioned a battery storage facility with a capacity of 2.5 megawatts on the site of the Gossau municipal utility. The municipal utility now has the largest battery storage facility in the region, explained the Aargau-based energy company in a press release. According to the press release, the storage facility is tailored to the specific needs of the municipality of Gossau and the region’s grid topography. The press release does not provide any information on the financial scope of the project.
Stadtwerke Gossau intends to use the battery storage system to compensate for fluctuations in demand and power peaks. It will also process reactive power and contribute to maintaining the grid voltage in the region. It will also help to stabilise the grid in the region by providing system services for the national grid company Swissgrid.
The new battery storage system is capable of stand-alone operation and black start. This means that in the event of a power outage, it can autonomously restore the power supply for units connected to island operation. Relevant companies for maintaining the supply to Gossau can take advantage of this. “What was initiated in 2019 with a parliamentary initiative can be demonstrated five years later,” says Claudia Martin, City Councillor and Head of the Supply Security Department of the City of Gossau, in the press release. “An energy storage facility that guarantees Gossau’s security of supply.”
Switzerland is aiming for a target of net zero by 2050. This means replacing fossil-based energies with renewables. However, the output from systems is dependent on weather conditions, the time of day, and the season. Getting supply and demand in sync calls for storage solutions. This also improves the property’s carbon footprint, because it requires less oil or gas to cover peak loads.
Electricity storage systems: battery-powered flexibility Battery storage systems can temporarily store surplus solar power locally and supply household consumers, electric vehicles or the heat pump later on. This significantly increases the level of self-consumption and with it the cost-efficiency of solar power plants. Not only the operator benefits from a storage system – the electricity grid does as well. This means, for example, that when a solar power plant produces a surplus, it doesn’t have to be shut off for fear of overloading the grid. And in the reverse scenario – when demand outstrips supply – locally stored energy can help cover peak loads, which stabilises the grid and keeps costs low. Currently the standard means of electricity storage is the lithium-ion battery, while alternatives such as sodium-ion batteries and salt batteries have yet to become established. This also applies to bidirectional charging, in which the battery of an electric vehicle is used for local electricity storage.
Heat storage units: geothermal probes and containers One alternative to storing surplus solar power is to transform it into thermal energy. Heat can be stored over weeks or months and used later for heating and hot water supply as required. This makes heat storage a great fit with renewable heating systems such as heat pumps and thermal networks. And some types of storage system can be used as heat sinks in summer to cool buildings with minimal use of energy. The most common storage types in Switzerland are geothermal heat storage units and container heat storage units. One interesting variant that requires less space is ice storage.
Hydrogen and methane: seasonal storage Another way to store surplus solar power seasonally is to transform it into a carbon-neutral gas like hydrogen or methane (‘power-to-gas’). If required, the gas can be used either to produce heat and electricity or as a fuel for vehicles. Hydrogen is produced through the electrolysis of water, and the degree of efficiency in this transformation is up to 80 per cent. Transforming it further into methane has the advantage that it can be stored in the natural gas grid, so it doesn’t require separate infrastructure. The overall degree of efficiency depends on the method used, but with a current best-case result of 50 to 70 per cent, it is not yet cost-effective.
You can find much more information and real-life examples in the new ewz white paper ‘Energy storage systems for properties: Using renewable energy efficiently’.
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