Germany First to Plan Battery System
In what could be a potential gamechanger for wider adoption of renewable energy as a bigger component of utility grids, a large modular battery storage system is planned for construction later this year in Aachen, Germany.
The system, which is being billed as the world’s first modular large-scale battery storage system, is called the Modular Multimegawatt, Multitechnology Medium-Voltage Battery Storage System (M5BAT), and as its name suggests, isn’t comprised of a single energy storage technology, but instead combines different battery technologies for optimal usability.
The M5BAT includes lithium-ion batteries for short-term demand, high-temp batteries for power supply over several hours, and lead-acid batteries for discharges of an hour or less.
This modular system is being built as a collaboration between the E.ON Energy Research Center at RWTH Aachen University, E.ON electric utility company, Exide and Beta Motion (battery manufacturers), and SMA Solar Technology AG (inverter manufacturer), and is being backed with a €6.5 million grant from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
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