Turkey’s first supercapacitor is energy storage unit for wind park

Menderes Tekstil has integrated an energy storage supercapacitor into its Aliağa wind power plant in western Turkey for testing purposes. It is conducting the project with Supracap, which is set to begin manufacturing such systems.

Following a number of pioneering renewable energy projects within the Turkish industrial production sector, a textile company rolled out the country’s first so-called energy storage supercapacitor. Menderes Tekstil said it completed performance tests. It paired the facility with its 19.2 MW Aliağa wind farm, in Izmir province in the country’s west, creating a hybrid power plant.

The supercapacitor for energy storage has 2 MW in capability and a capacity of 2 MWh. Menderes Tekstil developed the project with Supracap Enerji, which is about to build a manufacturing facility. The target annual capacity is 1.5 GWh and the factory is due to begin operations in the fourth quarter of this year.

Supracap said it aims to start exports in 2027 and reach 5 GWh by 2028. The five-year investment plan, including a research and development center, is worth USD 90 million. The firm brought the technology to Turkey in partnership with Dubai-based Enercap Energy.

Menderes Tekstil has more hybrid power plant projects lined up

Menderes Tekstil operates one other wind park and two geothermal power plants as well as a rooftop photovoltaic unit on its factory. The combined operating capacity of the five facilities is 73 MW.

The company has received preliminary permits for 250 MW in total within three renewable energy projects, envisaged with energy storage units.

Supracap’s five-year investment plan, including a research and development center, is worth USD 90 million.

Following the three-month trial period, Menderes Tekstil found that supercapacitor storage systems have technical advantages such as high energy density and fast charging and discharging. They can be efficiently combined with batteries in renewable electricity plants, according to the conclusions, reported by DRT TV.

The cycle efficiency was 99.1% to 99.4%. There was zero wear in the system, which worked at temperatures between 28 and 34 degrees Celsius during charging and discharging.

Supracap comparing energy storage supercapacitors against lithium ion battery tech

Supracap claimed late last year that in theory, energy storage supercapacitors have no limits in operational life. Namely, there are no chemical reactions, as the devices store energy in the form of an electrostatic field.

Nevertheless, the company defined the technology’s capability at 50,000 cycles, citing materials and power electronics.

Supracap is also working with EPRA Energy on a feasibility study of supercapacitor solutions in the Turkish electricity market. They are comparing them with lithium ion batteries. The business models are ancillary services (frequency control), balancing wind and solar power and power market arbitrage.

Capacitors are mainly used within electricity transmission systems for voltage control – reactive power, as opposed to active power and frequency.