photo: Tesla Megapack
The largest electricity storage battery in Austria, installed by Slovenian energy solution provider NGEN, is used to provide services for maintaining the stability of the power system, but it also enables the end consumers who are also producers to offer balancing services.
NGEN, one of the leaders in the energy storage solutions sector in Southeast Europe, has recently completed the installation of a 10.3 MW / 20.6 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Arnoldstein, Austria. The company is currently installing a 70 MW / 140 MWh facility in Slovenia and another 50 MW / 100 MWh in Croatia.
The investment in the battery unit in Austria was worth EUR 15 million. It consists of lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) batteries supplied by electric car and energy storage solutions manufacturer Tesla, based in the United States.
The battery provides system services to the transmission system operator
Roman Bernard, NGEN CEO, told Balkan Green Energy News that the battery is integrated into the company’s portfolio and that it has prequalified to provide automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR) services to transmission system operator Austrian Power Grid (APG).
NGEN, in his words, has developed and is constantly improving its software, aiming to digitalize energy systems.
“This means that we connect the electricity market with end users who can actively participate in the balancing market with their electricity consumption or production,” Bernard said.
For example, owners of household solar power plants, electricity storage units, electric vehicles and heating devices can connect to the NGEN platform.
NGEN creates the possibility for end consumers to obtain electricity at lower prices
It gives them the possibility to be supplied with electricity at very low prices or even for free in times when prices on power exchanges are low or when there are surpluses of produced energy.
“When solar power plants produce energy around noon, the price is often low or even negative. Owners of batteries or heat pumps can store that energy for free and use it in the evening, when energy is more expensive,” Bernard explained.
It is also possible to create virtual power plants
In addition, clients can create virtual groups within their portfolio. It will enable them to share the energy they produce with other users, in which case NGEN offers them different services.
Bernard also announced new investments.
“For next year, we are working on new, bigger projects in several European markets including Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia,” Bernard revealed.
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