NEC Corporation has commissioned an Energy Storage System (ESS) for Enel Group subsidiary Enel Distribuzione, a leading distribution system operator in Italy.
With its ability to store 2MWh of renewable power for release into the grid as required, ESS is the largest in Italy and one of the largest in Europe, the company said.
The system has been connected to the Chiaravalle primary substation in the region of Calabria, where renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic and wind generation plants, have been widely implemented.
Renewable energy grid often faces reliability issues arising out of inherently variable and intermittent nature of the energy sources. One of the major problems with this is the reverse power flows from the medium voltage to the high voltage grid which happens when the renewable power generated exceeds current consumption levels.
Therefore, it is important to maintain a balance between supply and demand always. If not, the grid will face voltage and frequency fluctuations which could disrupt or even destroy electronic equipment.
With NEC’s ESS, Enel Distribuzione is conducting a series of trials of a range of peak shaving, power balancing, power quality, voltage regulation and frequency regulation capabilities to overcome thes issues.
Enel Distribuzione is also testing innovative distribution and ancillary services. The ESS will be used to control the energy flow between their network and the national Grid.
Enel Distribuzione forecasts the amount of energy flow from their primary substations to the national grid and submits the Energy Exchange Profile data to the Transmission System Operator (TSO).
When the gap between the Energy Exchange Profile and actual energy flow excesses the threshold due to fluctuations in renewable energy generation, NEC’s ESS works to minimize the gap by flexibly charging or discharging the batteries.
NEC’s ESS will eventually be integrated with Enel’s smart grid infrastructure which is based on an automated meter management system with smart meters installed at homes, offices and factories, in addition to new innovative big data analytics and IT systems to provide a two-way, real-time information exchange of electricity demand.
With its recently announced acquisition of A123 Energy Solutions, NEC has become the world’s leading supplier of lithium-ion grid energy storage systems.
By integrating its ICT technologies and A123 Energy Solutions’ system integrations expertise, NEC will further drive its Smart Energy business to develop advanced infrastructure solutions that help to create a better society, the company said.