Enel, Enertag and Leclanche Commission 22 MW Storage System in Germany

The system, which involved a total investment of approximately 17 million euros, is supporting the stability of the German electricity network by providing frequency regulation services to the country’s Primary Control Reserve (PCR) market.

Enel Green Power Germany (EGP Germany), Germany-based renewable energy company Enertag and Swiss energy storage solutions company Leclanché recently inaugurated the 22 MW Cremzow Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), in Brandenburg, Germany.

The system, which involved a total investment of approximately 17 million euros, is supporting the stability of the German electricity network by providing frequency regulation services to the country’s Primary Control Reserve (PCR) market.

“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,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power. “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 the grid with a real-time primary frequency regulation service contributing to its stability. When the grid’s frequency decreases due to high power demand, the battery is able to deliver its stored energy within 30 seconds, while in response to frequency increases due to low demand, the battery is charged with the surplus energy.

Anil Srivastava, CEO of Leclanché, 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 Enertag, 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.”

Furthermore, the possibility to integrate the BESS with Enertag wind farms, using the wind energy surplus to charge the batteries avoiding curtailments, is currently being studied.

Jörg Müller, CEO of Enertag, highlights not only the project’s daily contribution to the primary balancing purposes but also it’s a possible contribution to the security of supply. “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.”