Battery Storage

Turn your battery into a source of income

Battery accumulators are taking on important tasks in industry and trade: For example, they replace internal combustion engines as a drive source or absorb peak loads in order to reduce electricity procurement costs. But with the help of batteries you can not only save, but also earn money: By providing control energy for the power grid, you can generate additional income - without significant effort or investment costs.

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Reserve Power from Batteries

Your battery can help stabilize the power grid

Fluctuations in the electricity grid are increasing due to the variable feed-in of renewable energy sources such as wind and sun. In order to keep the network stable despite these conditions, the network operators need capacities available at short notice, the so-called balancing power. Through our virtual power plant, your battery storage can offer this standard output if it has at least 150 kW. Just the part of your storage that you have reserved for your FCR delivery is affected during the provision period – the primary functions of your battery will not be affected.

Overview

Connection & data transmission

Restrictions

FCR (R1)

Overview

Via our remote control unit, the Next Box, your battery is connected to the control system of our virtual power plant. If your battery has its own protocol interface, we can use it for the connection aswell.
We carry out the necessary test procedure for the reserve power (prequalification) and determine how much power your battery can produce (power band).
In the event of fluctuations in the power grid, power is temporarily stored in your battery or called up from it. You will receive a performance price as revenue.

Connection & data transmission

Next Box: With the Next Box we establish the connection of your battery storage to the virtual power plant: Your battery communicates with our control system via a secure mobile phone connection.

Control system: The data of all plants bundled in the Virtual Power Plant flow together in the control system. This way we know exactly how much control energy we can offer. Our control energy bids subject to a surcharge must always be available in the Next Pool during the reservation period.

Restrictions

Together with you, we determine which time windows are available for the provision of standard service. The primary function of your battery memory (e.g. peak shaving) always takes precedence. Only the so far unused capacities of your battery are considered for the maintenance of control power.

FCR (R1)

Taylor-made for batteries: Primary reserve capacity is the first to be activated to prevent a power outage and is the most attractive type of control reserve to sell. It must be available within 30 seconds, and delivery must continue uninterrupted for at least 15 minutes. Checks are conducted as part of prequalification tests to identify how much positive and negative capacity can be produced in this time frame. This ‘capacity range’ can be sold on the control reserve markets after a bidding process conducted in advance. Unlike the tertiary or secondary reserve, primary reserve is not activated by a command from the TSO. Instead, it is triggered by grid frequency. This is measured directly on the biogas asset; depending on the deviation, the asset immediately delivers positive or negative primary reserve. Due to the constant availability, there is no difference between the capacity price and the energy price - compensation is automatically set at the capacity price.

The Belgian TSO Elia procures four different FCR products: two symmetrical and two assymetrical. The symmetrical products are FCR 100 mHZ and FCR 200 mHZ, respectively responding in a frequency deviation band of +- 100 mHz and +- 200 mHz around 50 Hz. The assymetrical products require an activation in only one direction, respectively upwards or downwards for FCR upward and FCR downward. The different products are shown in the figure above.

Numbers and Facts

238

Mio. EUR

Sales 2016
(Group)

4583

Total Capacity Next Pool

11,5

TWh (2017)

Traded Power

5477

Units
Next Pool

2009

Founded
(Group)

TSO Zones
(Europe)

Our Team

We make more of your battery

As one of Europe's largest virtual power plants, we already connect more than 5000 decentralized power generators and consumers. This alliance enables us to enable smaller units such as wind, solar and biogas plants as well as battery storage facilities to participate in lucrative electricity markets. Via our own trading floor, we trade on various European power exchanges and provide reserve capacities for grid stabilisation. In this way, we are helping to shape the energy landscape of the future - for a power supply from 100% renewable energies.

Request a revenue calculation for your battery storage now

We will prepare a non-binding revenue calculation for your battery storage: Simply fill in the following contact form or call us at +32 (0) 2 342 02 68