Under an Engineering Equipment Delivery (EQQ) contract, Finland-based technology group Zenobe Energy to receive 200MW Energy Storage Systems from Wärtsilä. ESS provided under the project will provide 200 MW / 400 MWh.
Wärtsilä, a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for marine and energy markets, signed a contract with Zenobe to supply ESS. Zenobe is a battery storage and EV fleet specialist in Blackhillock, Scotland and Wärtsilä booked the order in February 2023. They will be the largest in the United Kingdom.
It is the first such project in the world to use a transmission-connected battery to deliver stability services. The United Kingdom is working towards a zero-carbon energy network and this project will further support it by preparing the grid to increase renewable energy supply. The Energy Storage System is located in northeastern Scotland and is the first project to be delivered under the National Grid’s NOA Stability Pathfinder programme.
Challenges related to balancing supply and demand, constraints, and power stability will be managed by grid operators assisted by ESS. The project will ideally work with nearby offshore wind energy projects in the North Sea along with the energy grid of the country. This battery system will also provide stability to the National Grid Electricity System Operator along with true synthetic inertia and short circuit level. All these are essential for efficient grid functioning.
Andy Tang, Vice President, Energy Storage & Optimisation at Wärtsilä said, “Wärtsilä is proud to deliver this pioneering energy storage project alongside Zenobe. This is a first-of-its-kind project that will help balance the UK grid as it targets 100% renewable energy generation.”
Semih Oztreves, Director of Network Infrastructure at Zenobe said, “The battery at Blackhillock brings together the very latest in grid scale battery technology that will be crucial to lower consumer bills and enable more renewable energy on the grid. With Wärtsilä and other project partners, we look forward to delivering this significant grid infrastructure project that will be an important milestone in the UK’s net-zero transition.”
Andy Tang further added, “Energy storage is playing a critical role in delivering a stable supply of electricity during the global transition to renewable energy. Alongside our partners and customers, Wärtsilä is leading the way to a clean energy future.”
As an innovative solution to push technical boundaries for the support provided by batteries, the project ESS will be paired with inverter technology. Energy Storage System will be controlled by GEMS Digital Energy Platform, a sophisticated energy management system by Wärtsilä. It will also leverage machine learning along with real-time and historic data analytics for better optimized operations. Network constraints will be eased by importing electricity during peak renewable generation hours.
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Zenobe will remotely monitor, identify, operate and diagnose equipment with the help of Fleet Direct and Power Plant Controller by GEMS. All this with unrivalled reliability, flexibility, and safety. By Summer 2024, the project will be expectedly operational. Zenobe Energy to Receive 200MW Energy Storage Systems from Wärtsilä including its GridSolv Quantum, a fully integrated, compact, and modular energy storage system.
Source: Wärtsilä
