Battery storage systems key to the energy transition

Battery storage systems key to the energy transition

This year, battery storage systems became the largest energy source in one of the biggest electricity grids in the world in California.

Data showed that the output of battery storage systems exceeded six gigawatts for around two hours – higher than the output of gas or hydroelectric power plants, nuclear power plants and renewable energies. In comparison, the record output of battery storage systems five years ago was just 120 megawatts, highlighting their increasing role in the energy transition.

Delivering a large-scale battery storage system in Europe

"That is also our goal in the Netherlands," says Jacob Jan Stuyt, Commercial Director and head of the Dutch Developer and Capacity provider SemperPower. His battery storage facility is one of the largest in Europe and is supported by 168 Rolls-Royce mtu EnergyPack QGs.

Each mtu EnergyPack has a capacity of eight megawatts. Two inverters in the middle of the system ensure that the energy, which is stored in the battery in the form of direct current, is converted into alternating current and fed via the transformers to a Medium Voltage station supplied by Rolls-Royce and onto the public grid. 

Ensuring maximum performance through our intelligent control system

Alongside providing mtu EnergyPacks, seven inverters and our intelligent mtu EnergetIQ control platform, we were responsible for the construction of the entire battery storage facility. “The team from Rolls-Royce really did a great job here and installed the entire system within nine months," explains Jacob.

“This system also works so well thanks to our mtu EnergetIQ control platform,” says Tom Kuiper, a specialist in battery storage at Rolls-Royce's Power Systems division. “mtu EnergetIQ is the brain of the entire system and controls the interaction of all the system's components," he explains. “Our expertise lies not in supplying the individual components, but in linking them together in such a way that our customers can achieve maximum performance with them.” 

A partner for long-term reliability

Over the next five years, SemperPower will install two gigawatts of battery storage capacity. “We need the best partners for this - like Rolls-Royce," says Jacob. The company will also benefit from a long-term mtu ValueCare maintenance contract, ensuring that the batteries remain reliably ready for use. In addition to predictive maintenance, this primarily includes capacity guarantees for the first ten years. “With this guarantee from Rolls-Royce, we can in turn guarantee capacity to our customers - that is the basis of our business model”.

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