The world’s largest lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide energy storage system has been deployed for frequency regulation by South Korean lithium-ion/polymer battery firm Kokam.
The 24MW/9MWh system is one of two— the other is a 16 MW/6MWh system— deployed to provide frequency regulation on the South Korean electricity grid.
Along with a third— a 16MW/5MWh lithium titanate oxide ESS— the systems are scheduled to deploy 500MW of battery-based energy storage when completed in 2017.
In addition to improving grid reliability, the Kokam ESSs will enable South Korean utility Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) to improve its operation efficiency.
The ESSs use Kokam’s NMC 130-200kW/kg cells, which are available in 53Ah and 75Ah cells, which reach more than 8,000 cycles, compared to around 5,000 cycles for standard NMC technologies, says the firm.
The battery’s higher density enables 2.4 MWh to be installed in a 40 foot container.
Ike Hong, vice president of Kokam’s Power Solutions Division, said the company specialised in technologies which required systems to deliver high power, fast recharge rates and long cycle lives.
He said: “Our Energy Storage Systems provide KEPCO with the performance it needs to precisely and cost-effectively regulate frequency on the South Korean grid, helping it ensure the stability of this grid, improve its operational efficiency and lower its greenhouse gas emissions.”
