German coal mine and power plant operator builds large-scale battery
Eastern Germany鈥檚 largest energy company and lignite mine operator, LEAG, has started work on a聽聽that could help close a gap in the energy transition by enabling easier integration of renewable energy in the power grid. It will consist of a lithium-ion battery with a planned capacity of 50 megawatts (MW).
The battery will store electricity from the German power grid generated by a variety of energy sources (the mix in 2018 was nearly 35 percent renewables, more than 50 percent fossil fuels and almost 12 percent nuclear).
Although it will not only store renewable energy, its intelligent connection with a power plant control system can provide insights that LEAG hopes will 鈥済enerate application examples for other industry sectors鈥�. The energy company touts the project as聽鈥渢he only one of its kind in Europe鈥� as it 鈥渃ombines modern power plant infrastructure with storage technology in a completely new order of magnitude鈥�.听The state of Brandenburg is supporting the project with 25 million euros.
In the long run, storage facilities like the so-called BigBattery could provide the missing link in the German energy transition. Electricity from renewable sources is not available at all times. Finding ways to store the energy generated by weather-dependent renewables could therefore be an important element for the country's Energiewende as Germany seeks to completely phase out coal-fired power generation by 2038 at the latest, as recommended by the聽country鈥檚 coal exit commission.听
Federal environment minister Svenja Schulze lauded the project on a trip to the region, which will be heavily affected by the country鈥檚聽planned exit from coal-fired power generation. Economically weak regions in the east, in particular the mining region of Lusatia, which is located in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony,聽still very much depend on coal聽as a source of income and jobs.
Members of LEAG鈥檚 workers鈥� council held a protest demanding a just transition during the minister鈥檚 visit of the power plant and the opening of the BigBattery project. Climate and energy policy is set to play a role in the upcoming elections in eastern Germany. The far-right party Alternative f眉r Deutschland (AfD) is exploiting anti-government sentiments to discredit the fossil fuel phase-out and the expansion of renewables by calling them "imposed ordeals". However, energy transition technology is also widely used in the eastern states and聽is a growing industry聽in several municipalities.
Until now, LEAG has operated lignite mines, whose coal has fired four conventional power plants and been refined to create fuel. "With the installation of this large electrical storage unit, LEAG is becoming actively involved in a technological environment that offers a wide range of potential for the future,鈥� said in a press release. "In order to develop LEAG into a broadly-based energy company, we require time and a reliable regulatory framework,鈥� he added.
The 6,800-square-meter storage facility鈥檚 future capacity would correspond to about three percent of the installed capacity of its neighbour, the Schwarze Pumpe power station. It is planned to begin storing electricity in the summer of 2020.
Partnering with the Schwarze Pumpe industry park association, other industrial players and research institutions, LEAG has also applied for the funding of a hydrogen storage and power plant. If funded, this pilot project could likewise contribute to securing grid stability while enabling experiments on using hydrogen for sector coupling.
Storage: How renewable energy could stabilise the power grid
Finding ways to store electricity from renewable sources could provide an alternative way of protecting the German power grid from fluctuations and ultimately avoiding blackouts. In the power grid, energy consumption and generation must always be balanced out. Transmission system operators (TSOs) therefore provide so-called 鈥榗ontrol鈥� or 鈥榖alancing鈥� energy which can be fed into the grid within a number of seconds or minutes if a shortage of energy occurs. Until now, this control energy has come from conventional power plants, which are not affected by weather conditions and therefore can offer a stabile supply at all times. If renewable electricity could be stored and used as a backup 鈥� or control energy 鈥� it would also be available at any time. Find out more in 威力彩玩法鈥檚 analysis on storage.
