The specific objective of the CERØ project is the development of a high response speed storage system for powering dual-tie networks. These networks are usually present in industry and certain critical services, such as hospitals and communications networks. The main problem is that there may be critical loads (production processes, security systems, etc.) that may fall or cease to be fed in the process of changing from one network to another. During the process of switching from one grid to the backup grid, there is a “zero” in the power supply of the loads, which can last from tenths of a second to several minutes, depending on the time of establishment of the secondary grid. This project aims to develop a power system with a very high response speed, which can detect this “zero” before the loads can be affected, maintaining the power supply until the secondary grid is available. 

  In this sense, the project aims to develop both the physical system of storage and stabilization of the network, as well as the control and energy management algorithms that allow this change of networks in the most optimal way possible. Likewise, these systems can provide other value-added services to these networks, allowing a paradigm shift in terms of industrial energy management and distribution systems. 

Funding: 

Subsidized by the call for grants for Research and Development projects of the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). 

According to Spain’s Energy Storage Strategy, to achieve the objectives set out in the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) and the Long-Term Decarbonisation Strategy, it is necessary to increase energy storage capacity from 8.3 GW in 2021 to around 20 GW by 2030. This represents a significant increase in the amount of storage to be installed in order to achieve the established renewable integration objectives.  

In addition to the peninsular territory, the island systems (Balearic and Canary Islands) represent locations of special interest for the installation of energy storage, since in them the levels of penetration of renewable energies in the electricity mix are more limited as a result of their isolated nature or less interconnection of their electricity systems. 

Based on these needs, this “VisynC” project aims at the development and validation on a real scale of a hybrid storage system that combines lithium-ion batteries and ultracapacitors whose management is carried out through a specific control system that allows it to operate in synchronous grid-forming mode.  

The new storage system will be connected to the high-voltage transmission grid in the Lanzarote-Fuerteventura electricity system, specifically in the 66 kV Mácher substation, and will operate as an integrated grid asset, providing a wide variety of services to guarantee the safe operation of the electricity system and the increase of the integration of renewable energies. 

The connection to the transmission grid will be made through a GIS mobile shielded cell isolated as an alternative solution to SF6 gas, which will allow progress in the knowledge and experience of solutions that allow the substitution of this gas with a high GWP, global warming potential index. 

The proposed system would have a capacity of 16 MW (18.8 MVA of maximum apparent power) and 3.45 MWh of energy storage capacity. 

File code: PR-IDALMAC-C1-2022-000065 

Beneficiaries: 

Funding: 

This project has been co-financed by the line of aid managed by “Instituto para la Diversificación y el Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE)”, which forms part of “Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR)”, designed by the Spanish Government for the mobilisation of European NextGenerationEU funds. 

GENERDIS is an industrial research project that will deal with the technological challenges of future energy communities, the most complex scenario of distributed generation: the distributed nature of the resources that form the energy community makes neccessary an optimal operation, which considers the common good of the community, and flexible to face changing climatic situations or  other kind, in order to reduce the risk of technical and economic feasibility and  achieve a less dependence on aid or subsidies. Thus, the project is based on three pillars:

• Optimized management of decentralized energy resources, both towards the energy community and the electrical system as a whole, through adaptive systems based on Artificial Intelligence.
• Research into innovative storage technologies for the energy generated, with less dependence on critical materials, including centralized storage at the energy community level and its digitization.
• Research into new materials, methods for maximizing the use of solar resources and their integration into the available surfaces in buildings.

The GENERDIS project is part of “Mission 1. Strengthen technological capacities for safe and sustainable energy autonomy (fusion, hydrogen and renewables)”, in the field of action of renewable energies, to investigate innovative technologies that allow greater integration of renewables, decentralization and less dependence on critical materials.

CEN Solutions’ role:

CEN Solutions’ role is focused on researching emerging flow batteries as an alternative to lithium batteries that currently lead the storage market. In addition to the above, CEN Solutions will develop a demonstrator that will allow the validation of the energy storage system.

Participants: COBRA INSTALACIONES Y SERVICIOS SA (leader); CEN SOLUTIONS; ARIÑO DUGLASS SA; CUERVA ENERGIA SL; ENERGY PANEL SL; ISOTROL SA; NVISION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES SL and SFERAONE SOLUTIONS Y SERVICES SL.

Financing:

Funding by The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). “Science and Innovation Missions Program”, of the State Program to Catalyze Innovation and Business Leadership of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2021-2023, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

Innovative Storage Technologies on ENergy TOwards Renewables and Energy efficiency.

Reference: 101096787

i-STENTORE will examine the integration of diverse storage solutions and their combinations. Innovative storage systems will be showcased and their co-operation with the integrated assets will be co-optimized, placing the reliability, the power quality, the cost-efficient operation and the maximization of the assets’ lifetime as end-goals. i-STENTORE will introduce an umbrella framework aiming to showcase stand-alone and hybrid storage solutions highlighting the multi-purpose use of storage, not only as an energy buffer, but also as an active grid component capable of providing services and contributing to grid resilience, stability and efficient operation. The proposed framework will examine the applicability of versatile storage solutions in various applications covering the mobility, agricultural, industry, household, heating and other sectors, and in different timeframes, creating what-if scenarios for the selection of the optimal storage solutions to serve each individual application in the most effective way, promoting purpose-specific Hybrid Energy Storage Systems (HESS). To achieve this and to ensure a seamless integration in a technology-agnostic and interoperable manner, i-STENTORE will design a Reference Architecture towards an open and flexible storage-enabling European energy system leveraging storage-induced flexibility and facilitating the increased integration of renewable energy sources (RES). i-STENTORE will embrace the introduction of novel business models, towards building positive and attractive business cases for storage, identifying new revenue streams for storage operators and promoting storage systems as a facilitator of the energy transition. This approach will develop and validate the enhanced connectivity of multiple systems at different levels of the energy value chain, incorporating both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter solutions, targeting the essential empowerment of new actors and the strategic shift of the role of storage.

CEN Solutions´ Rol

The i-STENTORE project will be carried out by a consortium made up of a total of 27 participants and will be led by European Dynamics Luxembourg SA. CEN Solutions´ specific objectives in the project will be to build two lithium battery storage systems for the Grenada and Luxembourg demonstrators. Each system will have a capacity of 0.5 MWh of installed energy, an AD/DC converter and a small local SCADA to store operating data.

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”

The renewable energy is key to reach the EU climate targets to decarbonize the economy by 2050. But it is necessary the implementation of energy storage solutions to increase the efficiency of the grid management. Also, as the electric vehicles (EV) market grows exponentially, many batteries at the end of their useful life (EoL) for EV applications are being processed as a waste. LIFE ReLiGHT will facilitate the transition to a circular system increasing the resources efficiency by demonstrating, at large scale, the high-performance of a pioneer modular Battery Energy Storage Solution (BESS) that will transform the 100% of EoL EV Lithium-Ion batteries (LIB) -considering the heterogeneity from 4 different providers- in second life products for their integration into renewable plants providing flexibility and different services to the electrical grid. This will open the door to a new type of hybrid renewable plants displacing energy to those periods where renewable sources cannot guarantee the supply of energy, avoiding carbon-based energy sources. This novel circular economy approach will be implemented along the whole value chain of the EV sector thanks to the multidisciplinary consortium involved: receipt of the EoL LIB modules, modules testing and classification, assembly of new battery packages, demonstration in stationary energy applications (renewable plant) and evaluation of different business cases, replacement of batteries at EoL and proper recycling. LIFE ReLiGHT will: Reduce 102.31tn of EoL batteries waste in EV applications and extend their lifetime up to 10 years; Reduce the environmental impact of the LIB by 600tn CO2eq/year of GHG emissions; Demonstrate the robustness and high-performance of a pioneer modular 5.6MW/11.2MWh BESS; Demonstrate the cost-effective alternative to conventional storage systems; Promote knowledge and stimulate the innovation, education, public awareness and job creation (14 new positions) in the battery and energy sectors.

Within the framework of the project, CEN Solutions will study, manufacture and integrate three containers (6MWh) of the six second-life battery containers required by the 11.2MWh final storage system that make up the LIFE ReLiGHT project.

The batteries integrated by CEN will come from two different electric vehicle manufacturers. In addition, CEN will coordinate with the rest of the partners for the correct integration between batteries, power electronics and control system in La Herrada wind farm.

LIFE21-ENV-ES-LIFE ReLiGHT

Ref: LIFE21-ENV-ES-LIFE-ReLiGHT/101074411

BENEFICIARIES