Trina Storage, the storage subsidiary of system provider Trina Solar, will provide battery storage systems for four projects in the UK. These will be operated by the electricity supplier Low Carbon. The systems will have a storage capacity of 190 megawatt hours.
They are refinanced primarily through arbitrage trading. This means that Low Carbon stores electricity in the batteries when it is traded cheaply or actually at a negative price on the exchange. If the price of electricity on the exchange rises again, Low Carbon feeds the temporarily stored energy back into the grid.
Integrated into solar parks
This also has a system-stabilising effect with regard to the energy transition. Because if solar and wind energy take over the electricity system in the UK in future, prices will fall at times when there is too much green electricity in the grid. The storage unit can then temporarily store the surplus energy and shift it to times when there is too little green electricity in the grid.
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This is made all the easier as the storage units are each connected to a solar park - Meadow, Sandon Brook, Fern Brook and Birch - whose surplus electricity can be stored directly. This enables the integration of additional green energy plants into the UK grid.
Storage units provide grid services
However, the storage systems will also provide additional grid services such as voltage maintenance and grid frequency stabilisation. The four systems are each two-hour projects. This is how long the storage units can feed the stored electricity into the grid at their rated output. "We are pursuing ambitious plans for our UK sites and see great potential in the use of storage units for arbitrage and the provision of grid services. Our collaboration with Trina Storage and Trina Solar as a whole will help us to maximise the potential of our sites and accelerate the energy transition," explains Justin Thesiger, Managing Director of Global Supply Chain at Low Carbon.
Trina takes over the service
Trina Storage is offering a comprehensive system service as part of the overall project. This includes consulting, system design and layout, delivery and integration as well as a long-term service contract including maintenance and extended performance guarantees. As part of the long-term service agreements, Trina Storage will also provide preventive maintenance and a 15-year performance guarantee with flexible utilisation parameters for Low Carbon, according to the company.
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"Storage technologies are an area that will become increasingly important as the world transitions to renewable energy. We are therefore delighted to be working with Low Carbon on this project. We look forward to seeing the results once the installation is complete and to continuing to work closely with Low Carbon on future projects," emphasises Gabriele Buccini, Head of Large-Scale Storage at Trina Solar. (su/mfo)
