Hamburg-based photovoltaic developer Enerparc AG has connected its first hybrid project, consisting of a solar photovoltaic system and battery storage, to the grid in Büttel, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. The project had been awarded a contract in the 'Innovation Tender' round of the Federal Network Agency in September 2020.
The BESS installed in the 35 MW Büttel solar park has a capacity of 8 MWh and can be charged and discharged with over 12 MW. The battery system itself is installed in six 40-foot containers, and is one of the largest batteries installed in combination with a ground-mounted solar plant in Germany, according to the company.
Enerparc further adds that the capacity of the battery corresponds roughly to the same consumption that a family of four would need over two years. The system can absorb yield peaks at midday and release them in the late evening or early morning hours, thus enabling a more even feed-in throughout the day and help to relieve the strain on the grid.
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"This scalable hybrid project underlines our position as an innovation leader in the ground-mounted solar sector. We are making it possible for the large-scale storage facility, together with the solar park, to be a central part for tomorrow's energy markets", said Christoph Koeppen, CEO and chairman of the board of ENERPARC AG.
He further added, "For institutional investors, too, such storage projects are the most effective way to become CO2-neutral. We are therefore also looking forward to soon being able to connect three further PV storage systems to the grid,"
This is perhaps the Enerparc's first large-scale battery storage system. Being a solar developer, the company has already connected a portfolio of more than 600 solar plants with an output of over 4,100 MW to the grid, in which about 3,000 MW are from its own solar power plants which are to expanded to 10 GW by 2030.