AES has officially started operation of the Advancion energy storage array in Vlissingen, Netherlands.
Featuring Advancion 4 advanced energy storage platform, the battery system adds the equivalent of 20MW of flexible resource to the grid.
The latest Advancion design was launched in November 2015. Advancion 4 is a complete, battery-based alternative to traditional peaking power plants and features more than 45,000 Samsung SDI-built lithium ion batteries.
Commenting on the installation, Dutch national electricity transmission system operator TenneT customers and markets senior manager Gineke Van Dijk said: "This AES investment fits perfectly into TenneT’s vision that grid stability should be less dependent on large conventional power plants in the future.
"If wind and solar energy continue to increase, batteries will be an excellent alternative to take over this role of power plants."
In addition to enabling integration of larger amounts of renewable energy with the grid, the array will enhance grid reliability and reduce emissions and costs by providing fast response balancing services to the mains grid.
European Commission new energy technologies, innovation and clean coal unit head Andreea Strachinescu said: "Emerging market models such as AES’, will be pivotal for large scale deployment of electrical energy storage in Europe."
Parker Hannifin was responsible for the supply of inverter while Delta Infra and its subcontractors were responsible for providing the balance of plant.
Parker Hannifin Global Energy Grid Tie Division general manager Jim Hoelscher said: "Our power conversion systems are highly scalable and can be customized for a number of applications, making them ideal for use with the AES Advancion solution architecture."
Recently, AES signed an alliance agreement with power management company Eaton.
As part of the deal, Eaton will offer Advancion energy storage platform of AES as the core of its grid-scale, integrated energy storage systems to help manage grid stability and peak demand infrastructure.
Image: Official launch of AES Netherlands Advancion Energy Storage Array in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. Photo: courtesy of Business Wire.