- “Every kilowatt hour that can be generated must also be allowed to be generated without endangering grid stability. Every kilowatt hour generated must also be available when it is needed.”
- Almost 400MW of utility-scale battery storage was installed in Germany last year.
Austria-based utility Verbund targets 1GW of battery storage by 2030. This was revealed in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a recent project in Germany. This week, the company unveiled two operational battery storage projects, allowing them to qualify for a revenue stream no longer available for newly commissioned projects. Verbund CEO Michael Strugl, Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria Hubert Aiwanger, and Å Energi CEO Steffen Syvertsen attended the ceremony for the projects in Diespeck and Iphofen.
Michael Strugl, CEO of Verbund, said, “Without storage, there would be no successful energy transition. A renewable future can only succeed if we successfully integrate fluctuating forms of generation into strong and stable grids: every kilowatt hour that can be generated must also be allowed to be generated without endangering grid stability. Every kilowatt hour generated must also be available when it is needed.”
Strugl said the 1GW target was all for Germany whilst giving a podium speech as part of the ceremony, a source observing the event told Energy-Storage news. The firm’s battery storage projects have mainly been deployed there, including a 10MW unit in Eisenach, Thuringia, brought online in May last year. Almost 400MW of utility-scale battery storage was installed in Germany last year, bringing the total to over 700MW. A lot of it is just before the turn of the year to qualify for a grid service which is often roughly translated as ‘peak shaving’.