Europe's energy transition from fossil-based power to zero carbon is accelerating every day, and it brings new challenges to the energy grid such as matching supply and demand and accommodating power peaks.
So far, it has always been managed by gas and coal plants, but since Europe is focused on closing all fossil fuel plants, the continent faces a new challenge. Flexible energy storage is one of the most promising solutions to tackle this challenge. With large-scale battery energy storage systems like Project Pollux, it becomes possible to store renewable energy at times of abundance and release it again when the market demands it.
"Alfen is excited to be part of SemperPower's continued growth to help it contribute to Europe's energy transition," said Michelle Lesh, Chief Commercial Officer for Alfen.
"Supporting grid challenges caused by increased intermittency from renewables and continued load growth is critical to Europe's energy transition's long-term success. Battery energy storage systems like Project Pollux play a crucial role in making our grid future-proof and effectively manage demands on the grid."
Alfen's TheBattery Elements energy storage systems are tailor-made for different markets and applications based on the same design principles to guarantee performance, flexibility, modularity and longevity. SemperPower will develop, finance and operate the large-scale energy storage system, and Alfen will manage design, supply, civil works, installation, tests and long-term maintenance. The system is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2023.
"In 2021 we successfully launched the first large-scale battery energy storage system together with Alfen," said Dennis Schiricke, CEO of SemperPower.
"Since then, local system operators have seen explosive growth in requests to connect battery energy storage systems to their grids. With this project, we are, together with Alfen, continuing to respond to the challenges system operators are facing and accelerating the energy transition."
