In Slovakia, they put into operation the largest smart battery storage replacing fossil resources

In the industrial park in Banská Bystrica, the largest smart battery storage in Slovakia with an output of 2.7 megawatts was successfully put into operation. The brAIn repository, which was implemented by the Slovak technology startup FUERGY, can provide certified support services for SEPS electricity system operators at the level of primary regulation in combination with non-certified support services in the form of flexibility.

It is the first device of its kind, which is not only technologically extremely complex and emission-free, but also economically viable even without public support. With its operation, it can replace fossil fuel sources, which are normally involved in maintaining the stability of the electricity system by providing primary regulation. The use of battery storage for this purpose is not yet possible in the Czech Republic, where the legislation, or technical conditions of the electricity system operator, set in such a way that the battery storage providing support services to the electricity system must be combined with a rotating source for electricity production. In other words, ČEPS as an operator does not yet allow such an installation.

The battery saves more than 360 tons of CO2e emissions per year

However, if legislation were to be changed in the Czech Republic, a significant amount of CO2e emissions would be saved every year. For example, the new Banská Bystrica smart storage will effectively prevent the production of approximately 361 tons of CO2e emissions per year within the Slovak electricity system, directly at the heart of the emission chain – at the level of electricity production and distribution. From the first moment of operation, the repository replaces traditional sources burning fossil fuels, which are involved in the provision of support services. At the same time, this technology can pay off its carbon debt in more than a year.

The return on investment in storage is less than 3.5 years

The battery storage project was implemented from the design phase to commissioning in a record 6 months. A conservative estimate of the return on investment in storage in Banská Bystrica is 3.5 years. “This is a new type of storage and the first time a business model has been used, so we can only estimate the return for now. However, based on our experience with the design and installation of storage facilities in previous years, we expect that the actual return could be significantly shorter. Ultimately, however, the return depends on the prices of the support services and the deviation,” says Vladimír Miškovský, Chief Business Officer of FUERGY.

Another positive factor that shortens the return on investment is the multifunctional use of battery storage to provide two types of support services: to stabilize the electrical grid and to manage flexibility within the industrial park. The FUERGY control system is also able to optimize the overall utilization of the 600 kWp photovoltaic power plant installed on the site by predictively evaluating when the photovoltaic will produce electricity and preemptively freeing the battery charging capacity of excess solar energy.

“Investment in smart storage will pay for itself many times over during its lifetime. The service life of the technology itself, with battery degradation, which we achieve at a level of only 1.5-2% per year, can easily reach fifteen years,” adds Vladimír Miškovský.

Large storage can be effectively used in former industrial areas with sufficient energy infrastructure

This type of battery storage can be installed in places where the necessary energy infrastructure is available, for example, sufficient capacity of substations to connect them. Sufficient demand for electricity is also required to utilize storage with the capacity to provide both types of support services. In the case of 2.7 megawatt storage, this is at least 35 gigawatt-hours per year, with a consumption of at least 2.7 megawatts per hour, and ideally also with continuous consumption. However, the load diagram of the installation site is also important, which must provide sufficient potential for demand regulation.

Suitable places for installation are, for example, existing or former industrial sites or energy-intensive enterprises that have slowed down their production due to the development of the economy, but still have sufficient energy infrastructure.

“Trends in the form of geopolitical changes and associated adjustments in the supply of raw materials, decarbonization of energy, the growing share of RES (also thanks to technologies such as photovoltaics) and the related expansion of flexibility, as well as the overall increase in electricity consumption, force us to look for ways to effectively ensure reliable and more ecological operation of the electricity system. Battery storage systems, and especially their smart versions, such as our brAIn storage, are a very rational choice today in this regard, as they are quick and easy to install. They can be installed almost anywhere, and their economic and ecological dimension is more than interesting,” says Vladimír Miškovský from FUERGY.

The battery architecture minimizes the risk of downtime

The new brAIn battery storage in Banská Bystrica is unique not only in its size. During its installation, other innovations in the field of energy storage were used. “For example, we used the cold air from cooling the cable collectors that cool the batteries. We also used dynamic switching of individual energy elements, such as inverters, which minimizes downtime and technical storage inspections. This means that the repository does not behave as a single unit, but consists of several independent parts that we can flexibly combine. This gives us room for quick repairs of malfunctioning parts or the use of batteries for other types of support services,” explains Vladimír Miškovský.

The battery storage assembly method also significantly eliminates the risk of penalties, which are contractually payable by each resource operator providing primary support services to the electricity system in the event that it is unable to provide the contracted support services. These penalty conditions are the same for fossil and non-fossil resources, so reducing the risk of outage is one of the key parameters for the storage owner.

Software and other key storage components

As part of the project, FUERGY provided the complete design, supply and installation of technology, including its own Energy Management System (EMS). “We also use custom control units that are fully compatible with our software. In this way, they can manage the batteries as effectively and sparingly as possible,” says Vladimír Miškovský. Communication with the SEPS system (Slovak network operator) and storage activation is provided by FUERGY’s own TASDR terminal.

The project also used third-party components, such as Pylontech’s non-flammable LiFePO4 batteries. As the company’s Chief Business Officer states: “We monitor both the storage room and the batteries themselves 24/7, and to eliminate any fire risks, we have also equipped it with a professional aerosol fire extinguishing system. Regular service and maintenance of this system is a matter of course.”

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Source: Večerní Praha
Photo source: Večerní Praha