Balancing energy and intraday trading for more stability in the electricity grid

Flexibility for a volatile energy system

As the proportion of renewable energies increases, the energy system is also changing. Electricity from wind and solar power plants is not always available when it is needed. As a result, electricity generation is becoming increasingly volatile and the need for flexible technologies is growing. Large-scale battery storage systems can provide this flexibility. They react to changes in the electricity grid within a very short time and thus make an important contribution to the stability of the energy supply.

Initial situation

More and more renewable energy producers in the energy system are making electricity generation increasingly volatile. This also increases the importance of energy storage systems that can compensate for fluctuations in the electricity grid. In purely mathematical terms, one large battery would be required per district in Bavaria, for example, in order to implement a climate-neutral energy system.

Such a battery system has been implemented in the district of Augsburg. In Meitingen, the energy company Lechwerke (LEW) and the Bayernwerk subsidiary Bayernwerk Natur had a large-scale battery storage system built by INTILION. The system provides balancing energy and is also marketed via intraday trading. It therefore makes a significant contribution to the stability of the electricity grid.

Storage market booming

Large-scale storage facilities in the megawatt range in particular, which can be marketed via energy markets, are becoming increasingly important. For this reason, Lechwerke and Bayernwerk Natur opted for the INTILION | scalecube large-scale storage system with a capacity of 7.4 megawatt hours.

The system was built on a Lechwerke site in Meitingen. A key advantage of the location was an existing reserve grid connection from the industrial company SGL Carbon, which allowed the storage facility to be efficiently connected to the power grid. The grid connection and grid conformity were implemented via an EZA controller, taking into account the applicable grid connection guidelines.

Implementation and operation of the market storage system

The battery storage system is operated as a market storage system and is financed by revenues from the marketing of its flexibility. The Lechwerke trading team uses the storage facility for intraday trading, among other things. Price differences in the electricity market are exploited by storing energy when there is excess production and withdrawing it again when demand is high.

In addition, the system provides primary control power (PRL) and thus actively supports the stabilization of the grid frequency. The technical interface to the marketer is the INTILION Application Unit, which has all the necessary functions and applications to meet the requirements of PRL units.

Contribution to grid stability

The project in Meitingen shows how modern large-scale battery storage systems can be operated economically and at the same time make an important contribution to the stability of the electricity grid. The combination of balancing energy and intraday trading creates a flexible infrastructure that efficiently integrates renewable energies into the energy system.

| From left to right: LEW Managing Director Dietrich Gemmel, Sabine Jarothe, Head of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bayernwerk Natur Managing Director Franco Gola and Alexander Miehling, Site Manager of SGL Carbon in Meitingen

Customer

Lechwerke AG (LEW)

Augsburg, Germany

Lechwerke AG (also known as LEW Lechwerke) is a regional energy supply company.

Bayernwerk Nature GmbH

Unterschleißheim, Germany

Bayernwerk Natur GmbH is a regional company and supplies households as well as commercial and industrial enterprises in Bavaria with heat and other media.

Location:

Augsburg, Germany