09
May
2022
|
08:12
Europe/Berlin

Optimizing the economic efficiency of large batteries for a profitable energy transition

Summary

Uniper develops energy management algorithms in a renewed collaboration with RWTH Aachen

Renewables are becoming an increasingly used and important resource as a result of efforts to decarbonize or economy: However, these often-volatile energy sources can have their own challenges, for example compensating for frequency fluctuations to ensure grid stability. Temporary storage solutions such as the large-scale M5BAT battery storage system are becoming ever-more vital components in terms of ensuring the long-term viability of feeding energy from green sources—such as wind or solar plants—into the grid. 

M5BAT was developed as part of a cooperation between Uniper and RWTH Aachen and has been connected to the local medium-voltage network since 2016. Ever since, the battery storage system has been undergoing testing in order to establish whether it is both technologically and economically suitable as a means of enabling the energy transition. The result of these tests show that while it functioned with no technical faults, ongoing operation has repeatedly shown that the economic efficiency of large battery storage systems is a challenge.

This is exactly what the current research project, in renewed partnership with the Institut für Stromrichtertechnik und Elektrische Antriebe (ISEA — Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives), part of RWTH Aachen University, is based on. After all, in an energy system increasingly influenced by volatile sources, battery storage systems make a major contribution to security of supply and grid stability — but they should also be profitable in the future. Value stacking or multi-use operation of storage systems is a promising approach to achieving this goal. 

As part of the follow-up research project "EMMUseBat", which stands for Entwicklung von Methoden für den Multi-Use-Betrieb von modularen Batteriegroßspeichern im Mittelspannungsnetz (Development of methods for multi-use operation of large battery storage systems in the medium-voltage network), Uniper Innovation and the ISEA are developing and testing new energy management algorithms for the parallel use of large battery storage systems in various market fields. "The research project is based on the real operation of the M5BAT large battery storage system and aims to identify ways to increase the economic efficiency of a single battery storage system by simultaneously selling it on different markets," said Patrick Kruchen, member of the innovation team at Uniper.

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To develop and test new energy management algorithms for large battery storage systems, a digital twin of the M5BAT plant control system is currently being developed. In future, the algorithms created will be used to control and virtually allocate the battery so that different marketing channels with different load profiles, such as system services for grid operators and energy trading on the spot market, can be operated simultaneously — all taking into account the technological characteristics of the battery types installed. "Despite the fact that an asset is marketed in parallel in different channels, the algorithms do not oversell. The exact calculation of probabilities enables complex decisions to be fully automated in the background, so that different services can be provided with only one battery," says Patrick Kruchen. "With this research project, we are helping to shape the energy transition not only sustainably but also profitably." In addition, the development of a digital twin is intended to accelerate and simplify the planning and utilization of large storage systems in the future.

The project is being carried out by RWTH Aachen ISEA in close partnership with Uniper. Alongside other supporting tasks, such as sharing important expertise, Uniper has taken over the specific task of marketing the M5BAT battery storage system. The research project is publicly funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and will run until June 2024.

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