Alstom launches a battery storage solution MaxSine eStorage
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Alstom is launching MaxSineTM eStorage, a battery energy storage solution (BESS) that will enable energy storage along the grid. This solution will increase energy efficiency and balance energy flow in real-time, based on consumer demand. MaxSineTM eStorage addresses the instabilities on the electrical grid created by intermittent sources of renewable energy, such as wind and solar.
The benefits of MaxSineTM eStorage span across power generation, transmission, and distribution. Each MaxSineTM eStorage module is connected to a battery up to 2MW, and with additional modules, storage capacity can reach 12MW. At generation level, MaxSineTM eStorage offers a back-up solution for times when electricity resources are in high demand, such as evening hours in an urban environment. Power generators and transmission operators can store their production in times of low demand and low prices. The stored energy can later be made available within seconds to handle peak loads, helping to manage congestion. At distribution and city level, MaxSineTM eStorage helps everyday consumers to better manage their energy and to buy when prices are lower.
MaxSineTM eStorage is installed with a power converter and real-time control software. The power converter connects the Direct Current (DC) battery to the Alternating Current (AC) grid, and converts electricity to be stored in the battery or to be dispatched into the grid for consumption. The software constitutes an eStorage management system that tailors a production plan. It responds rapidly to weather conditions and demand to balance energy on the grid, alongside safe and efficient load management and frequency regulation.
MaxSineTM eStorage will be deployed in the coming weeks at Nice Grid, one of the largest smart grid demonstration projects in France. The project launched as a Grid4EU European Initiative, a smart grid innovative project that involves 27 partners in 12 European Union countries. With up to 1,500 volunteers, the aim is to create a local microgrid integrating MaxSineTM eStorage connected to 200 solar panel sites.
The continuous growth in energy demand leads to an inevitable transition towards sustainable energy and an increase in renewable energy sources of 40% between 2012 and 2018[1]. Today, only a few hundred megawatts of battery energy storage capacity are installed globally. A near double increase between 2011 and 2013 - from 370 MW to 734 MW - has recently been presented[2]. This demonstrates that Alstoms battery energy storage directly responds to market and customer needs.
Press Contacts
Virginie Hourdin, Claire Biau - Tél: +33 1 41 49 21 36 / 39 95
virginie.hourdin-bremond@chq.alstom.com / claire.biau@chq.alstom.com
Nathalie Bourotte (Alstom Grid): nathalie.bourotte@alstom.com Tel: +33 1 49 01 62 17
[1] International Energy Agency, 2013
[2] U.S. Department of Energy at 2013 European Utilities Week