The site in the Salzlandkreis district was selected after a thorough investigation of various nodes in the transmission grid of the grid operator 50Hertz. Together with financing partners, the German-Norwegian company Eco Stor will invest 250 million euros in the realisation of the storage plant. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024. The output and capacity can mathematically supply around half a million households for two hours.
See also: Three German solar companies invest € 2 bn in domestic production
The large-scale storage facility is to be linked to the energy trading marketplaces in real time. The traded electricity itself comes from wind and solar plants. "Electricity prices are becoming increasingly weather sensitive. With increasing production of wind and solar power, more and larger storage units and their balancing effect are needed. They thus provide more stability in the grid, affordable prices and a clean mix of renewable energy," says Georg Gallmetzer, Managing Director at Eco Stor.
Bringing more green electricity into the grid
The battery storage systems charge at times of more cost-effective wholesale electricity prices. This is especially the case when a lot of sun is shining or wind is blowing and the many solar and wind power plants are producing at full load. In this respect, the charged electricity is essentially from renewable production. Conversely, the storage unit discharges during times of high electricity prices, i.e. at times when there is little renewable electricity in the grid. In this way, the renewable share of the electricity mix can be increased while at the same time ensuring security of supply.
Also interesting: Climate-neutral residential neighbourhood for Bamberg
"Electricity grids can transport energy over long distances but not over time. For this purpose, storage units are needed that temporarily store renewable electricity and feed it back into the public grid in times of darkness or when the wind is not blowing," Gallmetzer explains. With storage units, the use of fossil power plants can be further reduced without endangering the security of supply.
Local communities must benefit
Battery storage plants, like wind or solar power plants, are currently not affected by a regulation that allocates 90 per cent of the accruing business tax to local communities. "This must change," Gallmetzer demands. In cooperation with associations and affected local communities, Eco Stor pleads for the adjustment of the trade tax law in the course of the Annual Tax Act 2023. This promotes the structural change of rural regions and contributes to the acceptance of large infrastructure measures among the population. (nhp)
