A vanadium redox energy storage system is being tested in Spain by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) as part of a hybrid renewables project.
SGRE said the next-generation redox flow battery at its La Plana test site near Zaragoza offers a 120-kilowatt energy output with 400 kilowatt-hour storage capacity.
The storage system is connected to the hybrid controller of a combined wind and photo voltaic generation system— and “supplements the lithium-ion batteries that have been in use here for around two years”, SGRE said.
“To support the highly efficient dispatch strategy steered by intelligent control algorithms, a large storage capacity helps to keep generators to their technical minimum load and to enhance the share of renewables— even when low wind periods and cloudy skies occur at the same time,” SGRE said.
Chief technology officer Antonio de la Torre said the battery’s “scalable energy capacity is a highly promising option to support our advanced technology offers for isolated and grid connected systems.”