EnspireME

In cooperation with Mitsubishi Corporation, Eneco has developed a huge battery for energy storage, called EnspireME. Since 2018, this Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has been keeping the power grid in balance by supplying spare capacity.

More about EnspireME

A growing number of wind turbines and solar panels are taking a large part over the electricity production of existing fossil fuel power plants. However, the power plants have another important role besides production, which is to keep the power grid in balance by supplying spare capacity. EnspireME can take over this primary backup role from coal and gas power plants and in that way help make the energy system sustainable.

The BESS has a capacity of approximately 48 MW and contains around 10,000 lithium ion batteries. The battery is now being deployed on the primary backup market. On this market, European grid managers purchase spare capacity that they need to guarantee the necessary 50 Hertz frequency on the power grid.

Location

EnspireME was built beside a transformer station in the German municipality of Jardelund in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. This state – which borders on Denmark – is making a contribution to the German energy transition.

In Jardelund, the electricity generated by the large wind farms onshore and offshore on the German part of the North Sea is combined and then transported to other parts of Germany. The closeness of the transformer station means the battery can play a role in preventing energy loss – called ‘blind capacity’ – at the station.

Study into the storage of local wind energy

Eneco and Mitsubishi Corporation are studying how local wind farms can be connected to EnspireME with the support of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. If there is overproduction by local wind farms or the power grid is overloaded, the wind energy can be temporarily stored in a part of the battery. This avoids a situation in which owners must switch off their wind turbines at the request of the local grid operator.