Siemens Gamesa to Supply Wind, Storage Hybrid Solution in Philippines

Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa is set to deliver an innovative wind and storage hybrid project in the Philippines.

This project is having its own significance as it will help in reducing dependence on diesel by providing stable power supply in a location with a weak link to the grid.

Moreover, this hybrid project, which is located in Puerto Galera on the island of Oriental Mindoro province, will combine an existing 16 MW wind energy plant and a battery storage solution along with an in-house central control system managing the energy produced at the plant.

Further, the supply and commissioning of the project is being carried out by Siemens Gamesa itself, while construction by a subsidiary of Berkeley Energy, a clean energy projects developer.

Commenting on the development, Warren Wilson, Sales & Marketing Managing Director – Onshore Siemens Gamesa, said “the plant is a great example of Siemens Gamesa’s capabilities to offer energy solutions to areas with difficult access to an electricity grid. This plant will help the region to cut its diesel use and emissions while using storage facilities to assure that people have access to clean energy when they need it. Hybrid solutions such as these, reduce the intermittency of renewable energy, and as such provide huge growth potential.”

Besides, the plant is likely to be fully operational by the second half of 2020. The company has also signed a 5-year maintenance contract including its Hybrid Plant Controller (HPC) system, which will help in optimizing the entire plant’s performance such as wind forecasts and other factors.

Currently, the company has fully installed the 16MW wind power facility (using 8 Siemens Gamesa 2MW turbines). Also, 6MW Gamesa Electric lithium battery storage system will be set up and commissioned this year.

However, it is also in negotiation for an additional wind farm facility, which would increase wind capacity by 10MW, which is still pending for the issuance of appropriate approvals from the Department of Energy (DoE) and other government agencies.

Recently, the company has said that its performance in the second quarter of FY 2020 reflected the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and commercial activity.