The technology group Wärtsilä has delivered its proprietary advanced software and controls platform, GEMS, to the 22MW/34.8MWh Cremzow energy storage project in Northern Germany. The project inauguration took place on 16 May, 2019. Greensmith Energy, a Wärtsilä Company, was brought into the project by Leclanché for their expertise in designing, building and intelligently managing utility-scale energy storage systems.
Energy storage will play a vital part of Germany’s future as intermittent resources including wind and solar are introduced to the grid. An intelligent and unifying software platform is necessary to integrate and maximise all of the generation assets to ensure reliable and safe energy delivery to the end customer.
The Cremzow project utilises the industry-leading GEMS software to meet operational requirements of the power plant and to provide frequency regulation services to the German Primary Control Reserve (PCR) market. GEMS efficiently manages the state of charge of the system by actively participating in the German wholesale electricity market. Now in its sixth generation, GEMS utilises artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making based on real-time and forecasted data (device status, weather, grid measurements and market data).
Maximising the performance and longevity of energy storage systems
“This marks our third project with Leclanché. We are proud to build on our past energy storage collaboration to expand our partnership into the German market,” said Risto Paldanius, Director, Marketing and Business Development, Energy Storage, Solar and Integration at Wärtsilä. “Ancillary services are a proven application provided by GEMS, generating revenue for the customer day one. Using data-driven acumen and decision-making in real time, GEMS deploys real and reactive power across the network in fractions of a second, creating a flexible system that ensures grid reliability and safety.”
An efficient software and control system is core to maximising the performance and longevity of energy storage systems. GEMS ensures system integration and optimisation of energy storage, renewable energy and power generation assets through changes in market conditions and structures – effectively "future-proofing" energy storage investments for both power developers and utilities.
Globally, GEMS is one of the most-used energy management software and integration platforms, operating in over 70 systems in nine countries. GEMS offers the widest selection of use-case applications, integrated with renewable thermal generation assets. Cremzow is the latest of the projects to utilise the multiple application capabilities of this advanced software platform with primary control reserve, energy arbitrage, and reactive power applications. (mfo)
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