Giant battery provides green energy when there is no wind or sun
Recently, the Netherlands’ largest battery was commissioned in Lelystad. Eneco is using project developer GIGA Storage’s ‘GIGA Buffalo’ to accommodate for peak demand with renewable power stored in the battery. These giant batteries are expected to have a major impact, accelerating the energy transition, and consequently bringing us closer to the Dutch climate goals.
‘For many people, turning the lights on and the heating up whenever you like is a matter of course, but all that will change with the arrival of renewable energy’, predicts Fredrik Troost, a Senior Structurer at Eneco, an energy company aiming to be climate-neutral by 2035.
‘For many people, turning the lights on and the heating up whenever you like is a matter of course, but all that will change with the arrival of renewable energy’, predicts Fredrik Troost, a Senior Structurer at Eneco, an energy company aiming to be climate-neutral by 2035.
Excess and shortage
‘Despite their growing numbers, wind turbines and solar panels cannot be as easily managed as a gas-fired power station with an on-off switch,’ Troost explains. ‘At the moment, if the demand for energy from renewable sources like the wind and the sun is larger than the supply, we still use energy from gas-fired power stations. However, a crucial step closer towards achieving our climate ambitions and accelerating the energy transition is making sure that we can meet the demand for energy entirely with sustainable means.’The GIGA Buffalo has a large part in that move. The battery can store excess green energy temporarily, releasing it if there is a shortage, when demand is greater than supply. In other words, it works like an ‘energy storage unit’ that can balance the supply and demand for renewable energy.
16 million AA batteries
GIGA Storage developed the technology for the giant battery and Eneco took charge of its commercial use; two very different focus areas that are nevertheless interdependent. ‘We managed it by working very closely together’, Ruud Nijs, GIGA Storage’s CEO, recalls.Commissioned in September 2022, the GIGA Buffalo is a 25-megawatt battery with a 48-megawatt-hour capacity. ‘That’s about the same as the volume of 16 million AA batteries’, Troost explains. ‘Or 900 Tesla Model 3s’, Nijs adds.
It is obvious that the GIGA Buffalo will boost our efforts to make our power supply more sustainable, but how environmentally-friendly is the giant battery’s manufacturing process? GIGA Storage recently asked Citys Consultancy to evaluate the process. The CO₂ emissions produced by the whole cycle, from mining the lithium to dismantling the battery and recycling the various components, are compensated by the battery’s use within as little as six months.
Rivals
The Buffalo is not just making a big impact on technology, it is also causing a stir in our industry. ‘It’s definitely encouraging the energy sector to act’, Nijs believes. ‘I’ve noticed some competition since we started this project. Mind you, I prefer to call our ‘rivals’ colleagues, because we all need to make a huge effort.’This article was written by NU.nl’s commercial editorial team.
One Planet Plan
With the commissioning of the GIGA Buffalo, Eneco is a big step closer to realising our One Planet Plan. This includes the ambition to be climate neutral by 2035. In our own achieved through decarbonise our customers, generate more sustainable energy, balance and optimise the energy system.
