In the SYNERG-E project, VERBUND shows that e-mobility and grid security are not a contradiction in terms
Over the past four years, VERBUND has installed and commissioned nine local battery energy storage systems at high-performance charging sites operated by SMATRICS EnBW in Austria and by Allego in Germany. VERBUND has thus taken the next important step on the road to the energy future in the EC-funded SYNERG-E project and successfully completed the project.
"With SYNERG-E, we have set a milestone for the convergence of energy and mobility infrastructure in Europe," says Karl Zach, Project Manager SYNERG-E, VERBUND Corporate Innovation & New Business, summing up the essence of the forward-looking project. "We are already observing that fast charging is increasing significantly and the associated rise in power requirements. A trend that will intensify by 2030 and beyond. With increasing expansion of renewable energies such as wind and PV, the provision of flexibility for the power grid is also becoming more and more important. With the stationary battery storage systems of the SYNERG-E project, we manage to address both problems!"
Mobility and grid stability
The main task of local battery storage is to relieve the load on the electricity grid through "peak shaving". When e-cars are charging at high-power charging locations with up to 350 kW, part of the required energy comes from the local battery storage. This ensures that the electricity grid is not overloaded and that grid charges remain within limits. During phases when the charging stations are not frequented, the battery storage units of up to 500 kW / 500 kWh are charged with 100% renewable electricity from VERBUND and their flexibility is used for the provision of grid services.
"During the implementation of the innovation project, the teams were repeatedly confronted with major challenges. The learning curves were extremely steep on all sides," project manager Zach describes. "The changing framework conditions due to the pandemic also challenged us in every way. That makes success all the more important. With SYNERG-E, we have taken on a completely new topic and gained valuable experience that is helpful in coupling mobility and energy infrastructure."
Battery storage in use on the energy market
The flexibilities of all nine battery storage units are used on the balancing energy and intraday markets in Germany and Austria. The intelligent control system ensures that the batteries are charged at the most favourable times and marketed on the energy market.
Using synergies, connecting sectors
SYNERG-E addresses the sector coupling of energy and mobility and was funded from the first Synergy Call of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) of the European Commission. "After the successful completion of the project, the battery storage systems will continue to provide valuable services in the energy and mobility sector beyond the project duration and thus make an important contribution to the success of the energy transition. The experience gained from the project has contributed significantly to the development of battery storage products and services at VERBUND," adds Karl Potz, Head of the Battery Solutions Centre, VERBUND Energy4Business. With more than 70 MW of large-scale battery storage facilities in Germany, VERBUND is positioning itself as a strong partner for German distribution grid operators.
www.verbund.at/batteriespeicher
