Exide Technologies and energy provider EDP go live with a solar-plus lead-acid battery installation at its Portuguese battery production facility.
The system in Castanheira do Ribatejo uses a bank of Sonnenschein gel batteries providing 500kWh of storage that allows for “greater control and self-consumption of energy”.
The batteries were manufactured in Exide’s European production facilities. The gel technology uses a tubular plate design and offers protection against deep discharge.
Stored solar power will be used at night and in reduced sunlight to reduce the plant’s emissions and dependence on the grid.
The two new installations contain approximately 11,250 photovoltaic panels and 70 invertors, which would produce enough energy to supply over 1,500 homes.
EDP designed and delivered both projects, and worked closely with Exide on the energy storage component.
Stefan Stübing, CEO and president of Exide Technologies, said: “Our Castanheira plant is one of the largest installations of its kind, and shows what can be achieved by combining solar with high-performance energy storage technology.
“More companies will rely on storage-backed self-generated power in the years ahead, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this trend. Our Sonnenschein A600 gel battery technology is extremely capable in this application.”