Italian company Enel’s subsidiary Enel Green Power Germany, renewable energy company Enertrag of Germany and Swiss energy storage solutions company Leclanché have inaugurated the 22MW Cremzow Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Cremzow in the German state of Brandenburg.
Image: Enel, Enertrag and Leclanché inaugurate 22MW Cremzow BESS in Germany. Photo: Courtesy of Kenueone from Pixabay.
The Cremzow BESS involved a total investment of €17m and is supporting the stability of the German electricity network by providing frequency regulation services to the primary control reserve (PCR) market.
Enel Green Power head Antonio Cammisecra said: “The Cremzow project demonstrates how storage is increasingly becoming an integral part of renewable energy systems due to its enabling role in making them more reliable, flexible and stable.
“Leveraging on our expertise in the storage segment and the fruitful collaboration with our project partners, we launched this innovative storage system which allows us to contribute to the stability of the electricity transmission network around the clock in Germany, the heartland of the European PCR market.”
The Cremzow BESS is providing a real-time primary frequency regulation service to the grid, contributing to its stability.
When the grid’s frequency decreases due to high power demand, the battery delivers stored energy within 30 seconds. Similarly, in response to frequency increases due to low demand, the battery will be charged with the surplus energy.
The companies are also examining the possibility of integrating the BESS with Enertrag wind farms, using the wind energy surplus to charge the batteries avoiding curtailments.
Enertrag CEO Jörg Müller said: “Cremzow BESS allows us to back up the renewable energy system in case a black start is necessary. Our consortium demonstrates that battery energy systems are profitable without subsidies. Renewable energy systems are mature.”
The BESS is owned by a special purpose vehicle (SPV) in which EGP Germany holds a 90% stake and Enertrag the remaining 10% stake.
Leclanché is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project, in charge of integrating battery and power conversion systems and energy management software.
Leclanché CEO Anil Srivastava said: “Cremzow is a landmark project which clearly demonstrates how energy storage solutions are solving some of the key challenges faced by our electricity grids today.
“We are delighted to be working with forward looking partners Enel Green Power and ENERTRAG, to deliver this important energy storage project which ensures the grid’s stability and reliability, with the ambition of increasing the level of renewables in the grid and reducing curtailment.”